Friday, December 09, 2011

All The Latest Transfer Gossip


After a busy week in Europe, as the final Champions League group games were completed, and with the traditionally busy Christmas fixture list on the horizon, clubs across Europe are hard at work as they plan ahead for the second-half of the season.

Players will come and go in January, as clubs wheel and deal in the transfer window. There are numerous reasons why clubs and players move in the New Year. Some clubs may be be strapped for cash, others may be struggling in their respective leagues while others may boast an array of injured players and feel the need to freshen up their squads. Players themselves on the other hand may find they are surplus to requirements, maybe they are not playing on a regular basis for their clubs or have fallen out with their boss. They may also be out of contract in the summer and need to find a new club, or perhaps they are quite simply looking for more money!

AC Milan, PSG, Manchester City, Chelsea, Ajax, LA Galaxy, Valencia, Tottenham, Arsenal, Juventus, West Ham, Blackburn, Spartak Moscow, Aston Villa, Schalke, Olympique Marseille, Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Wolfsburg, Lazio, QPR, Birmingham City, Stoke, Newcastle and West Brom, Wigan, Napoli, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Cardiff, Burnley and Sheffield United are all caught up in transfer gossip as we speak.

Here is a round up:

AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani remains hopeful the club can agree a loan deal for Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez despite reported interest from Paris St Germain - footballpress.net and sportinglife.com

Chelsea and Manchester City are thought to be monitoring Ajax full-back Gregory van der Wiel (right), who says he will not sign a new contract at the club. The 23-year-old is also wanted by Valencia - The Sun and The Guardian

Chelsea
boss Andre Villas-Boas has dismissed reports linking midfielder Frank Lampard with a move to LA Galaxy. Lampard appears to have fallen out of favour with Villas-Boas in recent weeks, fuelling suggestions the 33-year-old may be on his way out of Stamford Brigde and perhaps heading across the pond to ply his trade in Major League Soccer - skysports.com

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has confirmed his interest in signing wantaway Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka. owever, Allardyce, who worked with Anelka at Bolton, admits he is keeping tabs on the striker's situation, although he concedes he would only move for the 32-year-old on a free transfer in the summer rather than next month - The Sun and skysports.com

Spurs, Arsenal and Juventus are all reportedly interested in Chelsea's out-of-favour defender Alex - Daily Star and football.co.uk

Blackburn Rovers midfielder Steven Nzonzi is wanted by Spartak Moscow, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa also thought to be interested in the £7m-rated Frenchman - The Sun and The Guardian

Bundesliga side Schalke are keen to hijack Arsenal's interest in FC Köln's Germany international striker Lukas Podolski, 26. Schalke want to sign Podolski as a replacement for former Real Madrid man Raul, 34, who is contracted to the club until next summer - talkSPORT

Croatian international Ivica Olic (right) looks set to leave Bayern Munich in January. The 32 year-old Bayern forward is being tracked by Villarreal, Wolfsburg, Juventus and Lazio - skysports.com and sportinglife.com

Already tracked by several European top clubs and ready to leave Olympique Marseille, Ghanaian international André Ayew is now a primary target for Chelsea. The London club are thought to be ready to offer in the region of £10 million for the 21 year-old winger in January - footballpress.net

QPR midfielder Alejandro Faurlin is believed to be attracting interest from Napoli and two other Premier League clubs - Daily Mail

Meanwhile, Neil Warnock's side have joined Stoke, Newcastle and West Brom in the chase for Birmingham City defender Liam Ridgewell - Daily Mirror

Arsenal and Tottenham will be the clubs battling for signing Belgian international centre-back Jan Vertonghen from Ajax in January. The 24 year-old is currently on a deal with Dutch club until June 2013, and might decide to wait until the end of the season to leave - Metro and footballpress.net

Premier League sides West Brom and Wigan are both lining up moves for Nottingham Forest defender Luke Chambers, who is out of contract at the City Ground in the summer - Daily Mail

Stoke City are planning to offer £3m for Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha (right), and are looking at Blackburn Rovers winger Junior Hoilett as well. Enoch Balotelli, the 19-year-old brother of Manchester City's understated forward, might join the pair at the Britannia. Balotelli has been training with the Potters for a few weeks - The Guardian, The Metro and skysports.com

Aston Villa are holding talks with goalkeeper Brad Guzan over a new contract. The 27-year-old United States international is set to step into the breach tomorrow at Bolton, following an injury to Shay Given. His contract expires next summer and boss Alex McLeish is confident he can come in and make an immediate impact - skysports.com

Championship duo Cardiff and Burnley are chasing Sheffield United's Matt Lowton. The 22 year-old who can play at the back or in midfield has been an ever-present in the United side this season - skysports.com

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