Football transfer news

TIDYING UP ALL THE LOOSE STORIES IN FOOTBALL THIS WEEK

By Wayne Veysey and Greg Stobart

VIDIC WANTED NASTASIC AT MAN UTD

Matija Nastasic is likely to feature in Sunday’s Manchester derby, having established himself in the City side following his £12 million move from Fiorentina in August.

Yet the Serbian defender could well have been lining up for United had compatriot Nemanja Vidic successfully convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to sign the 19-year-old during the summer.

The Red Devils captain, who is still sidelined with a knee problem, is understood to have recommended Nastasic to United before he eventually joined City in a deal that saw Stefan Savic head to Serie A in exchange.

Nastasic has already emerged as Roberto Mancini’s first-choice partner for Vincent Kompany in the heart of the defence and has started seven Premier League fixtures.

His reading of the game and composed use of the ball has raised questions over the future of England centre-back Joleon Lescott, who has found his opportunities increasingly limited.

REINA STILL OPEN TO ARSENAL MOVE

Brendan Rodgers broke his no-speculation rule to try and flatten mounting rumours that Liverpool could offload goalkeeper Pepe Reina in the January window.
 
As revealed by Goal.com, Reina is top of Arsenal’s three-man shortlist to challenge current No.1 Wojciech Szczesny and the Londoners are ready to step up their interest in the Spaniard.
 
Although Rodgers praised Reina for proving his commitment to Liverpool’s cause by losing half a stone in weight and said “what is worth putting on record is that I’m not looking for another goalkeeper” and “any areas we will look to improve will be elsewhere”, that fails to take into account his keeper’s wishes.
 
Reina admitted in his recent autobiography that he asked three times for a move after becoming disillusioned under the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett and claimed that he was only stopped from joining Arsenal in the summer of 2010 because Liverpool feared that it would send out the wrong signal to potential buyers.

“Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering £20m, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper,” the Spaniard wrote. “Part of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart.
 
“When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not because I had been told that I was too good a keeper to leave. I was told that my continued presence was crucial to the sale of the club. I was simply a bargaining chip in the sales process.”
 
Liverpool are more settled under their second group of American owners but Reina, who has three years left on his contract, is believed to be open to a move to Arsenal in the forthcoming window.
 
With Arsene Wenger ready to sanction a bid, the question is whether Liverpool will stand in the Spaniard’s way once again, especially if they are confident that they have a replacement lined up.

PARDEW WOULD GET 12-MONTH PAY-OFF

A few eyebrows were raised when Newcastle announced in September that Alan Pardew and his coaching team had signed eight-year contracts.
 
In one regard, it was a sign of owner Mike Ashley’s commitment to the manager but The Sweeper understands that Newcastle will not be paying off all eight years of Pardew’s deal if he is sacked.
 
Far from it. It is believed that Pardew’s pay-off would amount to a year’s basic salary, although that sum would be diluted if Newcastle are not a Premier League club.

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QPR boss Harry Redknapp says he could look to the MLS in the January transfer window.

However, the 65-year-old may have a limited budget at his disposal after Tony Fernandes already invested large sums in former manager Mark Hughes’ underachieving squad over the summer.

Redknapp will look at loan deals for MLS stars keen to return to England during the American off-season. Former Everton stars Tim Cahill and Landon Donovan are among those mentioned, but former Spurs striker Robbie Keane is top of the QPR manager’s list.

“The MLS market is one that we’ve got to look at,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.

“Robbie’s a good shout. He probably would be an interesting player.

“I haven’t spoken to him yet, no, but he would be an interesting player. He’s a good pro and he would be the ideal type to have around for sure because he would give us something.”

Another former Spurs man who could be available is David Bentley. His loan deal at Russian side FC Rostov ends in January.

“Bentley’s a good player,” Redknapp added. “It shows that he must have wanted to play football to go to Russia so credit to him.

“He could have stayed and took his money but he’s gone out to Russia. Dave’s a good footballer – I haven’t had problems with him.”

The west London outfit are still without a win this season and are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.

EXCLUSIVE
By Wayne Veysey | Chief Correspondent

Arsenal are interesting in signing Mohamed Diame from West Ham in January, Goal.com can reveal.

 
Arsene Wenger has abandoned his faith in Abou Diaby and is ready to move for a midfield anchorman in the forthcoming window.
 
The Arsenal manager has been alerted to the potential availability of the Senegal international, who, as West Ham chairman David Gold admitted on Friday, has a release clause in his contract that can be triggered in January.
 
Sources have told Goal.com that the clause is “close to €5 million”, a sum that Wenger regards as good value.
 
Diame joined West Ham from Wigan Athletic on a free transfer in the summer and has been an impressive performer in Sam Allardyce’s team, who lie eighth in the league table.
 
The Hammers want to tie Diame down to a new deal that does not include a trigger clause, but the interest of leading clubs could turn the 25-year-old’s head.
 
Newcastle United and Fulham are also keen on the midfielder, while Liverpool could also enter the race. The Merseysiders were close to signing Diame at the end of last season but dropped their interest when Kenny Dalglish was sacked.
 
Gold did not reveal the size of the release clause but, responding to media reports, admitted that it does exist. “Diame does have a release clause in his three-year contract. He joined us from Wigan on a free transfer,” the West Ham co-owner tweeted.
 
Arsenal’s interest could prove decisive for Diame, who has attracted praise for his power, touch and ability at protecting the defence.
 
The north Londoners’ only similar senior player of his type is Diaby, but the injury-prone Frenchman has not played for Arsenal since September 29 and is not close to a first-team return.
 
It promises to be the most hectic January at Arsenal since the transfer window system was introduced.
 
The Gunners are looking to reinforce the goalkeeping, striker and attacking midfield positions, with Pepe Reina, Adrian Lopez and Wilfried Zaha their leading targets.
 
As revealed by Goal.com, Thierry Henry has also agreed to return to Emirates Stadium on loan in January, with Arsenal in talks with New York Red Bulls about the length of his third spell at the club.