Football transfer news

No one would dispute the status of the English Premier League as one of the most cosmopolitan in the world – indeed the matter has caused all manner of hand wringing from many, concerned that the steady influx of playing talent from other countries is stifling the chances of young English players. Nonetheless the varied nationalities of the players is a major reason for the global appeal of the Premier League – from the games to the spin-off activities such as computer games and those at online casino sites click here for an example . One of the countries which is not quite so heavily represented in the Premiership’s league of nations is Canada, but the league has uncovered at least one rising Canadian star in the last year.

David ‘Junior’ Hoilett, a winger who currently plays for Blackburn Rovers made a real name for himself last season, despite the dismal campaign Blackburn experienced as a club. Indeed Hoilett’s performances and goals represented probably the only bright spot of an otherwise unrelentingly miserable season for fans of the Ewood Park club; and it is testament to the impression he made that, following their relegation from the league, he was the first player tipped to move to another Premier League club during the summer. So far this has not happened, but few observers expect Hoilett to be playing football for Blackburn in the Championship next season.

Hoilett was born in Ontario and is actually a product of the Blackburn youth system, having been a member of their academy since 2003 – when he was just 13. He spent his formative years being loaned by the club to a variety of teams in the German leagues, in order to gain experience of first team football, before making his debut for Rovers in 2009. In the subsequent three years he has played 81 times for the club, scoring 12 goals, but it was really last season that he caught the eye, with a number of outstanding performances. With the likes of Manchester United now interested in him, he appears set to be one of Canada’s Premier League stars for some time to come.

Desperate to keep hold of their goalkeeper, French club Lyon have slapped a huge £16 million tag on Hugo Lloris, who is thought to be keen to leave Lyon and secure a summer switch to England side Arsenal.

The French stopper has been a consistent performer in between the sticks for both club and country, which has seen him being considered as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The 25-year old, who captained France in the Euro 2012, has many admirers like English side Arsenal, along with their arch London rivals Tottenham Hotspurs.

Tottenham’s new manager Andre Villas-Boas is looking to bring in a goalkeeper with a proven record, and has set his sights on Lloris, who he sees as a long-term solution. However, the only stumbling block has been the transfer fee, as Lyon have put the massive price tag on their star captain.

Tottenham’s offer of £10 million was rejected straight away, and now the London club have placed their final offer of £12 million, however still no resolution has been reached, with both the clubs refusing to budge.

Arsenal too are interested in Lloris, as they too are keen on another big name signing after securing Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud already. The price tag has put the Gunners off too.

Will Lyon’s tactic help them keep hold of Lloris?

New Swansea boss Michael Laudrup is ready to compete with Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and Liverpool for the signature of Rayo Vallecano attacker Michu.

Laudrup, who succeeded Brendan Rodgers at the Liberty Stadium, is aiming to strengthen his squad ahead of the next season by drafting in Spanish midfielder Michu. Miguel Perez Cuesta, popularly known as Michu, shone for freshly promoted Vallecano last season scoring 17 goals in all tournaments. He ended as the joint ninth top scorer in Spain and has since attracted interest from a host of clubs.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had sent his brother Martin to watch the striker and made his way to Madrid to assess the player personally. However, none of the clubs apart from Swansea have contacted Vallecano over the transfer of the player by putting in a £1.7m bid. The La Liga side are cash strapped and are looking to sell the 26 year old this summer as Michu enters the final year of his contract.

La Liga side Sevilla are also believed to be interested in him and have made a loan enquiry already.

Chelsea’s pursuit of Napoli’s giant striker Edinson Cavani could possibly be over as the player is set to demand the London club a massive weekly wage of £150,000 which will make him the joint top-earner of Chelsea alongside others.

The European champions have been searching long and hard in the Transfer window for a top striker, and have been linked with the likes of Hulk, Ramadel Falcao and Gonzalo Higuain, however nothing has materialized yet.

Chelsea now have set their sights on Uruguayan Cavani, who has been in prime form for his club since the past few seasons. After already losing Argentinian Ezequiel Lavezzi, the Italian club are bracing themselves of yet another departure in the form of Cavani.

The striker’s agent is set to meet the representatives of Chelsea to discuss a possible switch to Stamford Bridge, and the agent will reportedly ask a huge weekly wage of £150,000 which would make him the joint-top scorer alongside veterans Frank Lampard and John Terry, along with Fernando Torres.

Will Chelsea baulk at the massive demand, or will they splash their cash on the Napoli hitman?

Arsenal and England teenage winger Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is excited to join the pre season training and can’t wait for the new season to get started.

The 18 year old joined the Gunners at the beginning of last season from Southampton and notched up 26 appearances scoring 4 goals in the process. The young star was not a surprise inclusion in Roy Hodgson’s squad for the Euros and impressed with his performances for the Three Lions. Chamberlain will join his Arsenal team mates later this week for training before flying off to Asia for the club’s pre season tour.

‘To get back into training, see the boys and play football again – I just can’t wait for it,’ Oxlade-Chamberlain said.

‘I spoke to the boss and Colin [Lewin] the physio and they said I am in on Thursday, but I asked if I could come in earlier! I just can’t wait to get started again and get cracking with the new season.’

Chamberlain is hopeful that his stint with the national team in the Euros will help him perform better as he enters the second season at the Emirates.

He added: ‘I enjoyed every minute of it, it was amazing for me.

‘I have come such a long way – from last season’s pre-season to going away with England in a massive tournament this year.

‘I learnt so much from going away to the Euros and it makes you want to strive for more.

‘The next tournament coming up is Brazil in 2014 but first and foremost I need to concentrate on Arsenal. But on the international stage I need to keep impressing the manager.’