The Transfer Thread

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

11.49 West Ham United keeper Richard Wright is close to completing his return to Ipswich Town after passing a medical at Portman Road.

11.55 Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart claim to have agreed personal terms with Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz. The Holland international spent last season on loan at Sevilla and could be set to leave Chelsea on a permanent basis.

12.08 Derby County have continued their recruitment drive by signing Poland international Przemyslaw Kazmierczak. The midfielder has joined the Rams on loan from Porto and is the 11th new signing at Pride Park this summer.

12.26 Hull City have tabled an offer for Borussia Dortmund striker Delron Buckley. The South African has recently been on trial with Hull and has been offered the chance to join the Premier League new boys.

12.33 Stoke City manager Tony Pulis is hoping to add more new signings to his squad in the coming days. Record signing Dave Kitson is the only player to have arrived at the Britannia Stadium since the club won promotion.

12.42 MK Dons boss Roberto Di Matteo is hopeful captain Keith Andrews will remain at the club despite the uncertainty surrounding his future. Andrews has been placed on the transfer list after being linked with Blackburn, although MK Dons have received no offers for the midfielder.

12.54 Zenit St Petersburg have claimed Tottenham have made an enquiry for in-demand star Andrei Arshavin. However, the Russian club have denied reports that Manchester City have asked about the playmaker.

13.01 Carlisle United have revealed that they would be unable to turn down a bid of £1.14million for Joe Garner. Nottingham Forest have been linked with the striker, who is currently sidelined due to a serious knee injury.

13.17 Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate admits he will have to sell before he can add further new signings to his squad.

13.42 Skysports.com understandsQueens Park Rangers are poised to make a new bid for Crystal Palace's Ben Watson. The midfielder is set to leave Selhurst Park and is also wanted by Birmingham City.

13.54 Reading manager Steve Coppell has told Premier League clubs they have three weeks to buy his players. Dave Kitson joined Stoke last week, while the likes of Nicky Shorey and James Harper have been linked with returns to the top flight.

14.02 Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari says he is looking forward to the new season with Portsmouth after being linked with a move to Juventus.

14.07 Kevin Keegan is confident that Charles N'Zogbia will still be a Newcastle United player next season. The French winger has previously been linked with moves to North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.

14.16 Blackburn Rovers chairman John Williams has suggested the club could be willing to sell David Bentley for the right price. Rovers have already rejected offers from Aston Villa and Tottenham for the England midfielder.

14.22 Barcelona forward Eidur Gudjohnsen says he is open to offers as he considers his future at Camp Nou. West Ham, Man City and Portsmouth have all been linked with bids to bring Gudjohnsen back to the Premier League.

14.42 Real Madrid forward Julio Baptista's agent claims his client will only listen to offers of a permanent contract this summer. Italian giants Roma reportedly want to sign the Brazilian, but a loan deal has been ruled out.

14.59 Chelsea have confirmed a fee has been agreed to sell defender Khalid Boulahrouz to Stuttgart. The German side had already revealed on Monday that personal terms had been agreed with the Dutch international.

15.13 Stuttgart defender Ricardo Osorio is a target for Blackburn Rovers, skysports.com understands. The Mexican would be interested in a move to the Premier League, if Rovers make an offer.

15.23 Ipswich Town have brought Richard Wright back to the club from West Ham United for an undisclosed fee. Wright has signed a two-year contract to return to his first club.

15.31 Skysports.com understands Coventry and Charlton are battling it out for Portsmouth defender Martin Cranie. Pompey boss Harry Redknapp is keen for Cranie to gain more first-team experience this coming season.

16.01 Skysports.com understands that Metz midfielder Flavien Belson is training with Plymouth as the Championship outfit consider a permanent move for the 21-year-old.

16.19 Chelsea target Robinho has said he wants to stay at Real Madrid for a 'long time'.

16.35 Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has told Ronaldo that it would be the 'worst thing' for his career if he joined Real Madrid.

16.50 Lukas Podolski has confirmed he will be staying with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

19.32 Harry Redknapp has stated Portsmouth are still in the hunt to bring new players to the club.

19.58 Zenit St. Petersburg says it has not received any satisfactory offers for in-demand midfielder Andrei Arshavin and indicated he will remain with the club.

20.49 Lyon have completed the capture of Rennes central defender John Mensah for €8.4million (£6.6million).

21.15 Marseille sporting director Jose Anigo has told Djibril Cisse a return to England will soon become impossible.

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

7.25 Blackburn are leading the sign to sign Olympiakos star Vasilis Torosidis, at leasting according to The Sun. The £4million rated full-back is also wanted by Newcastle and Atletico Madrid.

7.31 Aston Villa are keeping close tabs on giant Valencia striker Nikola Zigic. It is thought the Spanish side want around £5million for the hit-man.

7.36 Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is weighing up a bid for Espanyol's Pablo Zabaleta. Big things are expected of the Argentine, who has already been dubbed the 'new Ronaldinho'.

8.02 Chelsea have denied making a bid for Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o despite claims from the Cameroon international he has received offers from the Blues, Tottenham and Inter Milan.

8.14 Paris Saint Germain president Charles Villeneuve has admitted he would love to bring William Gallas to the club.

8.31 Luiz Felipe Scolari is confident Frank Lampard will start next season with Chelsea, having revealed he is in daily contact with the midfielder. What do they find to talk about?

8.39 Real Madrid have reportedly reignited their interest in signing Kaka and have asked AC Milan about his availability, which could indicate their quest for Cristiano Ronaldo is stumbling.

9.01 Chelsea have handed a new five-year contract to midfield star Michael Essien. The Ghana international has tied himself to Stamford Bridge until 2013.

9.17 Manchester United striker Febian Brandy has returned for a second loan spell with Championship outfit Swansea.

9.31 Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has admitted Robinho would be their final signing of the summer if they are successful in their attempts to land the Brazilian.

9.41 Paul Jewell has told Robbie Savage he has a future at Derby, just so long as he gives his all at Pride Park.

9.52 Lucas Neill insists he is fully committed to West Ham. The Australian, who is believed to be one of the highest earners at Upton Park, has been strongly linked with a move away from the club this summer.

10.11 Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp insists he has not received contact from Inter Milan regarding Sulley Muntari. He is also confident Kanu will commit to Fratton Park before too long.

10.21 Skysports.com understands Norwich are closing in on the signing of Fiorentina striker Arturo Lupoli.

10.32 Aberdeen have taken French defender Lecsinel Jean-Francois on trial. The 22-year-old is currently with Guingamp, but he has already tasted Scottish football having spent time with Falkirk earlier in his career.

10.48 Liverpool are reported to be close to finalising the signing of Paris Saint Germain striker David Ngog.

11.08 Cardiff defender Roger Johnson has signed a new long-term deal at Ninian Park. The 25-year-old, who has been a reported target for several clubs this summer, has finally put pen to paper with the Championship outfit as speculation continues over the future of fellow defender Glenn Loovens.

11.29 Wigan striker Marlon King is travelling to Humberside to hold talks with Hull City. The Tigers have agreed terms with the Latics for the 28-year-old, who is now to hold talks with Hull boss Phil Brown.

11.36 Steve Bruce has wasted little time in bringing in a potential replacement for King, having completed the signing of Egypt international striker Amr Zaki. The 25-year-old Zamalek striker has passed a medical and has put pen to paper on a one-year loan deal.

11.40 Benfica midfielder Freddy Adu has agreed to join Monaco on a season-long loan, with the option to make the move permanent.

11.50 Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has come out to dismiss press reports linking him with Valencia beanpole Nikola Zigic. The Ulsterman has absolutely no interest in the striker.

12.31 Crystal Palace's Shefki Kuqi is attracting attention from elsewhere, with Plymouth believed to be monitoring the out-of favour striker.

12.35 Real Betis have completed the €7million (£5.5m) signing of Achille Emana from Toulouse.

12.35 This summer is the best time for Ricardo Quaresma to leave Porto for a major European club, according to the winger's agent. Internazionale are favourites to land the Portugal international but Manchester United and Liverpool have also been linked.

12.50 Sunderland midfielder Arnau Riera has joined Scottish Premier League side Falkirk on a season-long loan deal for the second time.

13.05 Manchester United chief executive David Gill has told Sky Sports News that Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale. He went on to say any bid lodged by Real Madrid would be 'pointless'.

13.05 Harry Redknapp fears Younes Kaboul will snub Portsmouth to join Aston Villa. Sunderland are also interested in the big Frenchman, who has been told he can leave Tottenham.

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

13.10 Everton captain Phil Neville hopes the club keep hold of manager David Moyes and striker Andy Johnson.

13.15 Striker Raul has spoken out in defence of Real Madrid after Sir Alex Ferguson stated that joining the club would be the worst thing that Cristiano Ronaldo could do for his career. "Joining Madrid is the best thing that could happen to anyone," the Madrid star told Marca.

14.13 Tottenham midfielder Teemu Tainio has admitted he would be interested in joining Sunderland after holding talks with Roy Keane.

14.24 The agent of Dean Windass has insisted he is not interested in a move to Leeds. The Hull striker is keen to play in the Premier League and will not be heading to Elland Road.

[Qb]

Re: The Transfer Thread

11.40 Benfica midfielder Freddy Adu has agreed to join Monaco on a season-long loan, with the option to make the move permanent.

This is surprising to me, but I imagine that it is a good sign of his development. It would be a step up in terms of competition, as Ligue 1 has to be considered a 'better' league than the Portuguese La Liga. Is Monaco playing in Europe this year? That was probably the one advantage of Freddy being at Benfica, since they are almost guaranteed to be in Europe each year due to the top-heavy situation in Portugal...

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

14.49 Defender Liam Ridgewell has committed his future to Birmingham. He has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs including Blackburn and Middlesbrough, but insists he is ready to fight for promotion in the Championship.

15.07 Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul has laughed off suggestions he could be set for a summer switch to Chelsea.

15.20 Manchester United and Nottingham Forest are both understood to be interested in Greek starlet Kyriakos Papadopoulos, a 16-year-old defender who impressed at the recent European Under-19 Championship.

15.32 Midfielder Nolberto Solano could be set to link up with David Beckham at Los Angeles Galaxy. The Peruvian's agent has claimed the MLS side are interested in signing him following his release from West Ham.

15.39 Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has revealed that Hull City have lodged a bid for Noe Pamarot.

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

This is surprising to me, but I imagine that it is a good sign of his development. It would be a step up in terms of competition, as Ligue 1 has to be considered a 'better' league than the Portuguese La Liga. Is Monaco playing in Europe this year? That was probably the one advantage of Freddy being at Benfica, since they are almost guaranteed to be in Europe each year due to the top-heavy situation in Portugal...

Freddy didn't see any first-team action the second half of the season, and Benfica went out at got Pablo Aimar this summer... so it wasn't likely he'd see any action next season either.

Monaco is expected to sell young French playmaker Jeremy Menez, so Freddy will probably step right into the starting eleven.

Monaco are also rumored to have a bid out for Michael Bradley, but Heerenveen are probably unwilling to sell this summer.

[Qb]

Re: The Transfer Thread

Freddy didn't see any first-team action the second half of the season, and Benfica went out at got Pablo Aimar this summer... so it wasn't likely he'd see any action next season either.

Monaco is expected to sell young French playmaker Jeremy Menez, so Freddy will probably step right into the starting eleven.

Monaco are also rumored to have a bid out for Michael Bradley, but Heerenveen are probably unwilling to sell this summer.

Ah yes, I forgot about the Aimar signing. That certainly would seem to indicate that Freddy was not in their plans for the upcoming season. Hopefully he will get regular PT as he has shown the potential in his limited exposure with the USNT to fill the creative central playmaking void that has been painfully evident recently...

As for Bradley, I vaguely remember reading a while ago that he is in no hurry to leave Holland, but that if he were to leave Germany has the most appeal to him.

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

16.06 Derby County's Stephen Pearson could join Birmingham City on loan initially before completing a permanent move. The midfielder has a slight groin injury and Blues have backed out of the original £600,000 deal.

16.11 Leeds trialist Luciano Becchio has been granted international clearance and will be given a chance to impress in a friendly against Shelbourne on Wednesday.

16.30 Stoke are understood to be interested in Blackburn star Aaron Mokoena. The South African is keen to play regular football this season.

16.47 Sky Sports News understands that Wigan have approached Fulham over the possibility of re-signing midfielder Jimmy Bullard.

17.17 Michael Essien, who signed a five-year deal with Chelsea earlier on Tuesday, is hoping that Didier Drogba will become the next player to commit his future to the club.

17.23 Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has said he is not surprised by the speculation surrounding Emmanuel Adebayor's future. The Frenchman believes Adebayor has a tough decision ahead of him.

17.38 Everton are not expecting to pursue a deal for Vladimir Stojkovic following the goalkeeper's brief visit to Merseyside. Stojkovic was due to train with the Toffees with a view to joining on loan from Sporting Lisbon.

18.04 Leeds United have confirmed the sale of teenage striker Tomi Ameobi to Doncaster Rovers. Ameobi impressed Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll during a trial.

18.16 Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping that a number of Manchester United's young guns will become regular members of the first-team fold next season.

18.55 Roma have tabled a bid for Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu. Fiorentina are now weighing up whether to accept Roma's bid for the Romania international

19.33 Torino have signed former Plymouth Argyle target Jurgen Saumel on a three-year contract. The Austrian international midfielder has signed a three-year contract with Torino.

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

19.51 Barcelona have agreed a deal for Henrique and will loan the Brazilian youngster out to Bayer Leverkusen.

20.03 Sheffield United have completed the signing of Darius Henderson from Championship rivals Watford. Henderson has agreed a four-year contract and will cost the Blades an initial £2million.

20.19 Norwich City have confirmed the signing of Fiorentina striker Arturo Lupoli on a season-long loan.

20.36 Northern Ireland international George McCartney has signed a new five-year contract at West Ham. McCartney had been wanted by his former club Sunderland, but has opted to stay at Upton Park.

20.55 Mick McCarthy is waiting for a Premier League club to make an offer for Wolves midfielder Seyi Olofinjana. Hull City have confirmed an interest in Olofinjana, while Wigan Athletic have also been linked with a bid.

[hopfrog]

Re: The Transfer Thread

May be jumping the gun, as has been the case often this summer, but fairly reliable reports that a bid has been accepted and a price agreed for Andrei Arshavin from Zenit to Spurs...all up to him now.

Also, Milito is looking closer to a done deal.


But then again, the Bentley saga continues....large grain of salt everyone.

Link

http://www.spursodyssey.com/0809/closer.html

[Acid]

Re: The Transfer Thread

I heard somebody from Zenit say that Spurs couldn't afford Arshavin, so I'm not sure if it's a done deal.

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

21.19 Steve Coppell has told Sam Sodje that it will be in the defender's 'best interests' to leave Reading.

22.14 Neil Warnock has confirmed there has been interest in Crystal Palace striker Shefki Kuqi. A Championship side and a foreign club have enquired about the transfer-listed Finn.

[calcutta]

Re: The Transfer Thread

Some Serie A news/rumours:

Inter to sign Ricardo Quaresma within 24 hours?

Fiorentina have snapped up Lazio's Luciano Zauri (the link also confirms Gaby Mudingayi has joined Bologna).

Roma are heavily linked with Chelsea's Florent Malouda and Real Madrid's Julio Baptista.

Milan are rumoured to be keen on Roma fullback Christian Pauncci.

...and finally, Ronaldinho will wear the #80 shirt at Milan!

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

7.15 The Sun claims Newcastle have made a firm bid for Celtic ace Aiden McGeady by offering Charles N'Zogbia in part-exchange. Can Kevin Keegan lure McGeady to Tyneside?

7.45 A number of English papers are stating Fulham have had a £10.5million bid for Everton's Andy Johnson accepted.

8.19 Liverpool target Gareth Barry came under fire from his own supporters in Tuesday's 3-2 friendly win over Walsall, although his whole-hearted display did earn praise from some Aston Villa fans.

8.31 Hull manager Phil Brown admits there has been a hitch in his bid to sign Wigan striker Marlon King.

[Bruins]

Re: The Transfer Thread

8.52 Phil Jagielka is backing Everton manager David Moyes to make quality signings this summer.

9.10 Rangers manager Walter Smith has been told to splash the cash if he wants to succeed in his pursuit of Cardiff defender Glenn Loovens.

9.18 Galatasaray have completed the signing of defender Fernando Meira from Stuttgart.

9.32 Raul does not believe that Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at Real Madrid would cause problems and admits that he would welcome the Portuguese star if his club's summer-pursuit is successful.

9.45 Ferencvaros winger Sandor Fitos has been invited to Sheffield United for a one-week trial. Both clubs are owned by Blades chairman Kevin McCabe.

9.55 Wigan have stepped up an aggressive summer recruitment campaign by bidding £3.5million for Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Cattermole.

10.05 Former Arsenal midfielder Edu has revealed that he has turned down several offers to return to the Premier League in order to stay and prove himself at Valencia after a torrid three years at the club.

10.15 Espanyol have insisted the club have not received any offers for versatile midfielder Pablo Zabaleta. Manchester City and Valencia have been linked with the Argentina international.