Category: Transfer news

EXCLUSIVE
By Greg Stobart

Liverpool are set to ramp up their efforts to sign Inter star Wesley Sneijder as the Dutch playmaker continues to stall on a transfer to Galatasaray, Goal.com understands.

The midfielder has been holding out for a transfer to the Premier League and Liverpool are now trying to put together a financial package after stepping up their pursuit of the 28-year-old.

Inter agreed a €10 million [£8.3m] fee with Galatasaray a week previously but Sneijder has delayed a decision on signing for the Turkish club as he waits for offers from English sides.

“A number of meetings are scheduled in the next 24 hours but there is serious interest from Liverpool and Wesley would like to see if they follow that through,” a source close to the deal told Goal.com. “This is a big decision at this moment in his career from a football and personal perspective.”

The Reds held talks with Sneijder’s representatives on Monday, which have been described as “constructive”, as they look to make use of the wages freed up by the departures of high-earners Joe Cole and Nuri Sahin in January.

WESLEY SNEIJDER | ALL-TIME INTER STATS

Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have all been sounded out over moves for Sneijder during the winter window by third parties but rejected a deal due to the player’s £200,000-a-week wages.

The Nerazzurri star currently earns £9m a year at the San Siro and is considering a £1.6m annual pay cut to join Galatasaray as Inter try and force their unsettled midfielder out of the club.

While Liverpool’s offer is likely to fall well below that of Galatasaray, Sneijder is eager to test himself in the Premier League and has made it clear to his agent that he would favour a switch to Anfield.

The Turkish giants and Inter are, however, pushing the player for a final answer, with the former Real Madrid and Ajax man unhappy at the way that he feels treated by Massimo Moratti, the Italian club’s president.

“All players on the move in this transfer window must decide what to do and where to go by the end of January. I’ll do the same,” Sneijder told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I am in no hurry and I don’t want to rush this decision. After what has happened in the last few months, in the context of having made football history with my team-mates, well, I don’t want to feel pressured,” he added.

“After what I did, I don’t want to feel this way – practically obliged to make such an important step in my life in a short space of time. It’s not a money matter.”

Sneijder played a vital role in guiding Inter to an historic treble in 2010 under Jose Mourinho but has fallen out of favour under current coach Andrea Stramaccioni, making just five Serie A appearances this season before being frozen out of the squad.

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Fulham would be “a beautiful club” for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Stanislav Manolev, according to his agent.

Manolev, who can play on the right-side of midfield or defence has been linked with a move away from the Eredivisie, with Fulham early front runners for the Bulgaria international’s signature.

The 27-year-old’s agent, Mino Raiola, is believed to be a friend of Fulham manager Martin Jol, and he insists his client would fit in nicely at Fulham.

“Fulham would be a beautiful club for him”, Raiola told Voetbal International. “But at the moment there’s nothing concrete.”

Martin Jol could make a move for the 27-year-old as Fulham right-back Stephen Kelly edges closer to completing a move to Reading.

The Cottagers are not the only club chasing Manolev, however, with La Liga outfit Espanyol and several clubs from Germany and Russia also reportedly interested in the PSV man.

Manolev has made 76 appearances for the Dutch giants since arriving from Litex Lovech in 2009, scoring three goals.

Benfica have announced that Oscar Cardozo has signed a new contract with the Portuguese giants which lasts until the summer of 2016.

The Paraguay international’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of next season, but he has now agreed to a two-year extension, ending speculation of a transfer away from the club.

The 29-year-old attacker moved to Estadio Da Luz from Newell’s Old Boys in the summer of 2007, and is delighted to have prolonged his stay.

“This renewal means a lot to me. The people at Benfica have put a lot of faith in me, especially club president Luis Filipe Vieira,” Cardozo told the club’s official website.

“This is very important to me. I want to continue doing my utmost for Benfica and don’t want to leave anybody down.”

Cardozo has netted 13 goals in 12 league appearances for his club so far this season.

EXCLUSIVE
By Wayne Veysey | UK Correspondent

LA Galaxy have opened talks with Frank Lampard as they step up their attempts to prise him away from Chelsea to Major League Soccer, Goal.com has learned.

The American club hope to put together a package that can convince Lampard to follow in the footsteps of David Beckham and move to the west coast in the summer.

The midfielder will leave Chelsea at the end of the season after being formally told on New Year’s Eve that he will not get a new contract from the European champions.

As revealed by Goal.com at the start of the month, there is firm interest in Lampard from a string of Premier League clubs, most notably Manchester United and Arsenal. The England midfielder has already rejected a three-year offer from Everton.

However, it is understood that the 34-year-old’s current stance is that he would prefer a move to the MLS rather than join another English club, with LA Galaxy his most likely destination.

There has also been strong interest in the Blues midfielder from clubs in Serie A but the Chelsea No.8 has reservations about moving to Italy.

Lampard will be one of the most sought-after free agents in the world this summer, when his 12-year association with Chelsea will come to an end.

He was told by the west London club that he will not be offered an extension to his current €180,000-a-week deal, even on reduced terms.

This has prompted a stampede of interest in the player, who has demonstrated his value with a number of goals since returning to the team last month following an extended spell out injured and has now scored 11 times for club and country this season.

Lampard’s colleague John Terry broke ranks earlier this month to question Chelsea’s stance on the failure to award the long-serving midfielder a new contract.

However, senior Stamford Bridge officials have privately made it clear there will be no change in their position.

Lampard is free to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club from this month, and is open to a move to the States for personal as well as professional reasons.

Each MLS club can sign a maximum of three ‘designated’ players each season, whose wages are not included in the team’s annual salary cap.

In an interview this week, LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena declined to comment on Lampard but admitted the club are in the market for a marquee midfielder.

“We need to get another player there and we’re working on it, as well, and there’s a chance we’ll get a designated player that can slip into midfield,” said Arena.

EXCLUSIVE
By Romeo Agresti

Juventus have presented Athletic Bilbao with a final offer of €4 million for Fernando Llorente, and have given the Basque outfit until Friday to make a decision, Goal.com understands.

The Basque side recently announced that the Bianconeri had opened talks with Llorente over a free transfer in the summer when the striker’s contract expires, but the Italian champions remain keen to sign the Spaniard in January.

Athletic turned down a first offer from the Turin powerhouse earlier in January, but they have now made a final offer worth €4m, plus a €300,000 bonus if Juventus successfully defend their Serie A title.

A winter transfer remains a complicated matter as Llorente’s current employers are determined to hold on to the player until his contract runs out.

The Primera Division side do not need the funds a transfer would generate, having sold Javi Martinez to Bayern Munich for €40m in the summer transfer window, and they see keeping the 27-year-old Llorente at the club as a matter of pride.

Should Athletic turn down Juventus’ ultimatum, the Bianconeri will look to immediately purchase the other half of Ciro Immobile’s contract from Genoa, while they could leave the Italy Under-21 star at his co-owned club until the end of the season if Llorente arrives this month.

Juventus held talks with Genoa over Immobile on Tuesday, but the Grifone have told the Serie A leaders that they want to sign a replacement for the striker first before letting go of the player.