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The Transfer Troll : Liverpool set to land Chamakh?
Published by Ian John on January 13, 2010
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We begin this week with the news that Liverpool are set to clinch a £25m deal (!) for Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh. Chamakh has long been a target for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger but it seems that Wenger has pulled the plug on a deal due to the players excessive demands. Demands that Liverpool are seemingly happy to pay include a £12m signing on fee (Yeah ok, keep taking the tablets) and £13m in wages over five years which seems eminently more likely. Furthermore Tom Hicks has stated that the club intends to make significant funds available to manager Rafa Benitez in the summer. And we all know how often Hicks has kept his promise at the club since he took over don’t we? One deal that looks set to be concluded today is the signing of Maxi Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid as the player has arrived in Liverpool for a medical to conclude the deal.
More news today of a transfer that may well be off is Sergio Aguero’s proposed move from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea. Seemingly it is the Argentinean strikers wage demands, purportedly £200,000 a week, that are the sticking point. Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is believed to only want to offer Aguero a deal approaching half that and with the impasse still unresolved, it looks like Chelsea may turn their attention to sabotaging AC Milan’s attempts to sign Edin Dzeko in a £20m deal.
Manchester United could be on the verge of a very big summer of selling. Several stars look set to be sold, or will retire in the summer, according to varying articles. Anderson, Nani and Dimitar Berbatov will lead the exodus from Old Trafford next Summer in an £80m firesale according to the press in England with Manchester United being strongly linked with almost every half decent player kicking a ball in a decent league this side of the Solar System. The latest was on a move for Fiorentina keeper Sebastien Frey. However all this could be affected by the clubs financial position. A recently published document, aimed at finding investors in a £500m bonds issue, has highlighted the weaknesses of the club, including the decision to sell the clubs training ground and lease it to raise funds. Hardly the move of a club in a healthy financial situation. The last club in the Premier League forced into that was Leeds United.
At Tottenham, much of the talk in recent weeks has been about which players will be leaving. David Bentley and Roman Pavlyuchenko remain favourites to be on their way, Bentley linked with both Sunderland and Aston Villa in recent weeks and Pavlyuchenko believed to be on the verge of a move to Zenit St Petersburg. Harry has been busy looking at players to bring in however and it is thought a £6m deal for Internacionale midfielder Sandro is close to being concluded.
Arsenal have surprisingly resigned Sol Campbell, who made an appearance for them in the reserves last night. It’s a damning indictment of Philippe Senderos, the young Swiss centre back, who has reportedly begged to leave Arsenal in January to keep his hopes of a World Cup place alive. Everton are said to be keen on Senderos, though whether they have the funds to match Arsenal’s valuation remains to be seen.
They are the biggest rumours this week from the EPL, keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks as it seems likely transfer activity will pick up as we head towards the final few weeks of the transfer window.
Image courtesy of ***Mourad_Yakine*** on Flickr.com
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