Football transfer news

Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng has admitted that he has been in touch with AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng to talk about the Bundesliga giants’ alleged plans to re-unite the half brothers.

Recent reports from Germany suggested that Bayern are closely monitoring the 25-year-old’s situation at the Rossoneri, and although the midfielder revealed earlier this week that he is unaware of any potential interest, both siblings have already discussed the matter.

“We have already talked about it a few times,” Jerome was quoted as saying by AZ.

“I do not know how concrete it all is, though. It seems as if it’s just some distant rumours for now.”

The midfielder then went on to stress that Bayern cannot afford to lose focus again like they did last term, when they collapsed after a good start to the season and were pipped to the title by Borussia Dortmund.

“We can’t let that happen again. It’s crucial that we also win the games, where we are not at our best. We know that it will be very difficult to beat us as long as we stick together like a team.”

Bayern currently hold a five-point lead over second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga table.

COMMENT
By Kris Voakes | Italian Football Writer

AC Milan and Juventus have chased the same transfer target many times before, and will doubtless do so with regularity in the future, but as the two clubs prepare for a potential arm-wrestle over Manchester United winger Nani, they both face a multitude of questions over the Portuguese’s suitability to their squads.

Goal.com exclusively revealed on Thursday that the race for the wide man is hotting up, and United are looking set to cut their losses on the 25-year-old. With his form not matching that of Ashley Young or Antonio Valencia, his first-team chances have become increasingly rare of late, and his recent training ground bust-up with attacking midfielder Davide Petrucci smacks of a player whose frustrations are spilling over off the field.

Five years on from arriving at Old Trafford, Nani is arguably no closer now to being a first-team regular than he was when he signed in 2007, and as a result there’s a very real possibility that one of the Italian giants could swoop. But where would Nani fit best?

At Milanello, much depends on the future of Massimiliano Allegri. The Rossoneri coach has finally begun to show more freedom in his tactical shape of late, and the 4-3-3 – in which Nani could be a real weapon – was a favourite of his at Cagliari.

‘FRUSTRATING & DISRUPTIVE – HE NEEDS TO GROW UP’

JONATHAN BIRCHALL ON NANI

“Manchester United are simply tired of waiting for Nani. “The winger, now 25 and half a decade into his Old Trafford career, can no longer fall back on the excuses to which his defenders have clung. For the once-exalted ‘next Ronaldo’, the curtain is closing at the Theatre of Dreams. “On the pitch, Nani’s teeth-grindingly frustrating performances have returned in typically inconsistent fashion this season. The running down cul-de-sacs and tragically comical corners are reminiscent of the Nani of three years ago. “Off it, the Portuguese has threatened to become a disruptive presence at the club. His demands for a wage rise last summer were quickly rebuffed, while a training ground bust-up with reserve team forward Davide Petrucci have left his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson at its lowest ebb. “It confirmed what most at United have known for too long. Nani needs to grow up.” Jonathan Birchall, Goal.com UK Deputy Editor

Having the ability to play on either wing with a similar output thanks to his two-footedness, the former Sporting Lisbon man has the skills and the deceptive change in pace to cause defenders across Serie A some serious problems. The full-back positions are notoriously short on quality right now across Italy’s top-flight clubs, and a player of Nani’s raw talent may well feel more confident in his ability on the peninsula than in the Premier League.

In the Milan forward line, he could supply the kind of danger which would open up space for Giampaolo Pazzini. The former Inter striker has been largely impotent due to the lack of quality delivery around the final 12 yards since moving across the city in the summer, and the Cape Verde native may be just what ‘Pazzo’ needs.

However, Nani’s wage demands could be a massive sticking point at Via Turati. His current £90,000 (€111,000) a week wages would need to be matched at the very least – he was said to have asked for £130,000 (€160,000) from Zenit St Petersburg in the summer – and when taking into account that United would hope to recoup the £20 million (€24.6m) they paid for him in 2007, that converts to a potential total cost of €47.6m over the span of a four-year contract.

Would Milan really be ready to commit so much on a player when Thiago Silva’s sale saved them just €10.4m more than that? (They made €42m in the Brazilian’s transfer fee, plus saved four years on his previous contract at €4m a year). He would certainly suit Pazzini’s play, but what about Alexandre Pato’s? Or Stephan El Shaarawy’s? Or Robinho’s? Or Bojan Krkic’s? Spending nearly €50m on a player to justify a misguided purchase in Pazzini doesn’t make sense, especially for a club in such a financial predicament as Milan are in at the moment.

Over at Juventus, there is perhaps more room for manoeuvre. Firstly, they have the money, with the extra revenue streams of Juventus Stadium, which regularly sells out in Serie A, and the return to Champions League football meaning the Bianconeri are positively flush in comparison to Italy’s other big teams right now.

The Turin club have also been admirers for some time. The first mumblings of an interest in Nani came as long ago as May 2011, when Milos Krasic was struggling in the black and white shirt. Back then, Nani was still confident of attaining regular football with United, and Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t keen to sell. Things are different now though.

Doing it tough | Nani is having trouble at United, but he has the skill set to suit Serie A

Much of Antonio Conte’s approach is about togetherness, and some of Nani’s recent escapades may not fit within his vision. But Arturo Vidal has had trouble with the Chile national team since joining Juve, and Conte has been able to keep him happy. Also, the coach had difficulties with Fabio Quagliarella soon after taking over, but would eventually use the striker at key times in their successful Scudetto push last season, proving that he is not necessarily a hard-liner. One may well find that Nani’s attitude would change with a regular shirt in any case.

Would he get one? Well, that would likely depend on how the Bianconeri’s formation evolves. Having originally set up in a 4-2-4 on day one as boss, Conte has since trialled a 4-3-3 and switched to 3-5-2. But as they take on more and more games, he could well decide to go back to the 4-3-3 to which the vast majority of his squad seem ideally suited.

It is true that a wide man is not Juve’s priority, with a striker definitely needed and either a left-back or centre-back also high on the agenda, but that doesn’t mean he would be a bad purchase. He has proven fleetingly at United in the past that he can usurp full-backs even when given little space in between the lines, and that could happen again if given a fresh start in Turin. Now might be a difficult time, but he undoubtedly has the talent to break out at some point.

Relations between United and Juve are not great as a result of the Paul Pogba stand-off, and that could result in the 19-time English champions playing hardball over a transfer fee, but if the Old Lady can get him at the right price, Nani could be a surprise star for the Scudetto holders.

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SPECIAL REPORT
By Wayne Veysey | Chief Correspondent

Roma’s team selection for Sunday evening’s trip to Genoa will not just be of interest to the club’s supporters and those who follow Serie A football.

It will also be closely monitored in Manchester as the possibility emerges that the previously unattainable could finally be within reach.

Daniele De Rossi, Rome icon and Italy midfield kingpin, faces a potentially make-or-break moment in his 11 years in the first team as he waits to hear if he has made the final cut for the starting XI against Genoa.

The weekend before the international break, he suffered the rare experience of being dropped for Roma’s match against Atalanta at the Stadio Olimpico.

In what some might regard as a flexing of manager Zdenek Zeman’s muscles, De Rossi was told only in the warm-ups shortly before kick-off that he would be joining fellow high-profile casualties Pablo Osvaldo and Nicolas Burdisso on the substitutes’ bench.  Zeman’s brave selection was immediately justified, as Roma recorded a 2-0 win, their first home victory of the season.
 
Cue a wave of speculation that the relationship between veteran coach and star player, known to many of the fans as ‘Capitan Futuro’, or Roma’s Future Captain, is not a good one and is on the verge of a breakdown that could become permanent when the transfer window re-opens.

Admiration for De Rossi stretches far and wide, not least to Manchester, where Roberto Mancini has made no secret of his desire to shoehorn the 29-year-old into a City midfield already brimming with expensive adornments.

Mancini tried to sign De Rossi in January. The player responded by signing a new five-and-a-half year contract. Mancini tried again to capture De Rossi late in the summer window, with City indicating their willingness to pay £31 million for one of Serie A’s marquee players. This time, De Rossi responded by holding a press conference confirming his commitment to the club for whom he is now representing for the 12th season.

Despite buying Javi Garcia to fill City’s central midfield hole in the last hours of the recent window, speculation is rife that Mancini will try to be third time lucky in January.

The disagreement between De Rossi and Zeman is partly personal, partly tactical.

“I was hoping [Vincenzo] Montella would get the job,” De Rossi had said shortly after Zeman’s appointment was confirmed in June, though he would subsequently claim to have been won over by the chain-smoking 65-year-old.

“I thought he was a miser, but instead I discovered a brilliant man, full of verve and good humour”.

Despite this, there is a distance in their relationship that is a far cry from the warmth that existed between De Rossi and Zeman’s immediate predecessor, Luis Enrique.

There was said to have been a heated conversation in the dressing room following the Juventus defeat, in which the pair exchanged strong words.

Not least is De Rossi’s unhappiness with his role in the team, forced to play on the right of a midfield three instead of his usual central position.

When Zeman was interviewed for the Roma job, he told senior club officials he wanted two players in particular: midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis and centre-forward Mattia Destro.

De Rossi would not have imagined that the arrival of Tachtsidis and Michael Bradley, from the United States, would have left him marginalised.

“Zeman and De Rossi disagree about where he plays,” a high-level Roma source told Goal.com. “De Rossi wants to play in the middle of the three midfielders. Zeman prefers Tachtsidis or Bradley there. There is an issue of trust. Zeman has to convince De Rossi that his methods are right and that they can help the team win.”

Could Zeman be willing to off-load a player whose bond with the eternal city is similar that of Steven Gerrard, a player he rates so highly, and Liverpool?

De Rossi’s daughter has recently begun attending an English-speaking school on the outskirts of the city, although club insiders deny the player is laying the foundations for a move to England.

Even though the midfielder turned 29 in July, he would come at a considerable cost. Roma value him at £30m, a fee that only a small elite could afford.

Moreover, De Rossi is the third best paid player in Serie A, earning a basic €6m-a-year (£4.9m) plus bonuses, more even that Francesco Totti. Only Inter’s Wesley Sneijder and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon earn higher salaries.

De Rossi’s stock remains high. He started both of Italy’s World Cup qualifiers during the international break, scoring in each of the 3-1 victories over Denmark and Armenia.

The expectation is that, having made his point, Zeman will restore De Rossi to the Roma team this weekend. If not, the reverberations will spread at least as far as Manchester.

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Goal.com exclusively revealed on Thursday that Arsenal have made Atletico Madrid forward Adrian Lopez their No.1 January transfer target.

Having broken the story, chief correspondent Wayne Veysey explains why the Gunners are chasing the Spanish striker.

John Guidetti is targeting a spot in Manchester City’s first team after signing a new contract with the Premier League champions.

Guidetti was brought to the club in 2009 by Sven-Goran Eriksson, and has since had spells away at Burnley and Feyenoord. After an incredible season at De Kuip last term, that saw him score 20 goals in just 23 appearances, Guidetti made his senior international debut in February.

“I’ve seen how much the club has turned into one of the biggest in the world,” he told City’s official website.

“It’s great to be a part of it and to have a management and a club that believes in you is very important. City have shown that and I’m very happy.

“I’ve been here for a long time, since I was young. They’re the ones that helped me grow and develop into the player I am today, so I’m very grateful for that.

“There’s so many fantastic football players and staff and people working here, and so all the players teach you new things, all the staff teach you and help you to develop.

“You have the best medical team, you have the best everything. To be at a place that has everything at the best is fantastic.”

City have a host of fully-fledged international strikers at their disposal including Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko.

Despite all the competition to even earn a place on the bench, Guidetti is determined to prove his worth to Roberto Mancini.

“Who doesn’t like competitive? If everything was easy it wouldn’t be fun would it?” he added.

“I know I’m going to learn so much from all the great strikers that are here. I’m only young, so if I can train every day with the best strikers in the world then it’s going to help me, because if I can watch how they are in training, I can try to do the same and hopefully improve.

“I like the competition. I think that it will bring out the best in everyone.”

Guidetti was delighted to be included in City’s 25-man Champions League squad this term and is pushing for a place in the squad after recovering from injury.

He said: “It’s close [full fitness after the injury] and it was a great honour to be part of the Champions League squad.

“I hope we can kick off the Champions League in a great manner and go on to the final stages and I hope we can do something good at that because we have a fantastic team and fantastic management.”

“Of course it would be to develop and try to become as good as I can and try to start playing for City regularly – more first team football every week.

“Just to play in front of the great fans here and try to maybe bring home some medals. That would be a dream for me, to start playing for Manchester City.”