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Transfer record smashed for Chelsea & Man City target...Man U star next?
09:28 AM 09 June, 2009
Real Madrid have signed the Brazilian midfielder Kaka from Milan for £56m, smashing the previous record in pounds set by Zinedine Zidane.

The 27-year-old Brazil international was wanted by Chelsea and Manchester City earlier this year, but now has agreed a six-year contract at Real.

Now Real president Florentino Perez is aiming to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

They have also agreed terms with david villa for £32m. I hope Chelsea outbid them though.

Real madrid have brought kaka because they gave up on ronaldo that's what i was thinking surely they won't buy ronaldo as well

Same but you never know with there unlimited amount of money.

Don't believe they have offered 32m. for Villa.

He should go Chelsea for 40.

The SPL is doomed! Rangers and Celtic will be better off joining the English Premier League..

Cardiff is a Welsh city, but are in a English league so no problem with Celtic and Rangers joining the English Premiership.

Rangers and Celtic, wouldn't be in champions league without Staying in the SPL.

Coz they wouldn't break top 4.

Im not even sure they would get into Europe probably not both of them.

They would then get less money, and unless they could just add 2 teams to the premiership, and make it 22?? Who's to say they start in the premiership they would have to push 2 off the bottom.

so we would have 40 games per team a season.

Or 42.

Best to keep celtic and rangers in the scottish league

we don't want teams like hearts and aberdeen finishing 1st and going straight into the champions league

REAL 'UNDECIDED' ON RUUD FUTURE

Real Madrid have stated that they remain undecided over the future of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who has been linked with a move to Tottenham.

The striker is currently fighting to be fit for the start of the season after undergoing knee surgery in November but that has not stopped rumours surfacing regarding where he will play next season.

The Dutchman appears to have been pushed down the pecking order at the Bernabeu following the arrival of Kaka, while Real have been continuously linked with moves for David Villa and Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.

Real are said to be ready to let van Nistelrooy leave for 1.25million Euros despite the former Manchester United frontman voicing his desire to stay and fight for his place in the Spanish capital.

The news is likely to alert Spurs and Panathinaikos, who have been linked with a move for the 32-year-old.

"We are still not decided over the situation of some players like van Nistelrooy," a Real Madrid source told skysports. "At the moment, we have other priorities and they will wait until next week."

New Real manager Manuel Pellegrini is believed to have the deciding stay over whether van Nistelrooy will stay at the club.

PATO SET FOR ANCELOTTI TALKS

Alexandre Pato has revealed he will speak to new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti before deciding whether he will stay at AC Milan.

The 19-year-old has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge ever since his former boss Ancelotti made the switch last month.

However, the Brazilian international moved to swiftly deny any reports linking him with a switch to West London last week but it now seems his head has been turned.

The former Internacional star admitted that his future would be resolved after the Confederations Cup - where Brazil will compete against the likes of Spain and Italy - in South Africa due to begin in a week's time.

"It's an honour being esteemed by a club like Chelsea," Pato, who finished the season with a total of 17 goals in all competitions, told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Anyway, I repeat, I will meet Ancelotti before, then Milan officials. My future will be clear at the end of June."

Despite Pato's insistence on meeting with Ancelotti, Milan are unlikely to let another of their top stars leave San Siro this summer after Kaka's sensational move to Real Madrid.

But the news that one of their brightest talents plans to discuss his future with one of their former managers rather than his current club will come as major blow to the Milan hierarchy.

"There is nothing decided yet," Pato reiterated.

"At the end of June, after the Confederations Cup, I'll meet Milan officials and we will talk about my future. But before I'll talk with Ancelotti.

"He's a sensational man. I owe him. It's because of him I've been able to emerge at Milan and in Italian football.

"Before deciding my future I want to talk to him."

BILIC KEEN ON POMPEY JOB

Slaven Bilic is 'very interested' in holding talks with Portsmouth over the club's vacant managerial position, according to the Croatia boss' agent.

Pompey are currently without a permanent head coach after temporary manager Paul Hart's deal expired at the end of last season.

The club are overseeing a period of change as prospective owner Sulaiman Al-Fahim is in a period of due diligence before his takeover at Fratton Park is completed.

A number of high-profile coaches have been linked with the post, including Sven Goran Eriksson, with Bilic's name the latest to be mentioned.

Bilic's agent, Rudi Vata, has now claimed the former West Ham defender would be keen to manage on the South Coast, despite the Croatian Football Federation being keen to hold onto his services.

Vata, who recently suggested the Croatian could be set for Celtic, told The News: "Slaven is open to offers and there is interest from Portsmouth.

"There are different clubs who want him but he is very interested.

"Portsmouth have tried to get in touch, but there is no concrete offer at this stage.

"But the idea of working with and building the club would excite him.

"Slaven is hungry for the right club with the right ambition because he is a hungry manager. He is a person who sets high goals and wants to work hard to achieve them.

"There are going to be special things from him in the future."

lol yes could you imagine, they would be one of the teams barca beat 7 - 0.

And Celtic and Rangers would probably finish like 7th n 8th...

HUNT WANTS OUT OF READING

Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt is seeking a move away from the Madesjki Stadium.

The Republic of Ireland international's future was the subject of conjecture in the winter transfer window, with the midfielder keen to move to the Premier League.

Hunt, though, opted to sign a new contract with the Royals, but the club ultimately failed to gain promotion from the Championship.

Media reports claim Everton are lining up an offer for Hunt and the 27-year-old intends to seal a transfer away from Reading this summer.

He told Sky Sports News: "My own situation is that I am happy at Reading, but in terms of my future, I've been loyal to Reading, maybe a fresh start would be good for me and the club.

"I think me and the club agree it is time for a fresh start. I don't know about that (Everton). I can't talk about other clubs."

Meanwhile, Brynjar Gunnarsson's future at Reading is also in doubt despite being offered fresh terms by the club.

Gunnarsson's agent, Olafur Gardarsson, told Fotbolti.net: "He hasn't rejected the offer but he is mulling over his options.

"He's got the offer of a one-year contract and he is considering that and also other offers from clubs in the Championship."

£59M KAKA: I MOVED TO HELP MILAN

Brazil star Kaka has revealed he has joined Real Madrid in order to help AC Milan to overcome their financial difficulties.

The Italian side confirmed the sale of Kaka to Real in an expected world-record transfer late last night, before Madrid also announced the move on their own website.

Reports have suggested Kaka, who was also earlier linked with Chelsea, has signed for around 68 million euros (£59million) - which, if true, would smash the world record fee of £46.7million paid by Real to Juventus for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.

He had the opportunity to join Manchester City in January this year in a deal reported to be worth £100million, but opted to stay in Italy.

At a press conference in Recife, where the player is currently on international duty ahead of Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, Kaka revealed he rejected the move to England as he did not want to leave Milan mid-season.

"I can officially say I'm a Real Madrid player. My professional link with AC Milan finishes now, but my sentimental link will never end," he said.

"Real Madrid intend to build a great team, with historic players such as Raul and Casillas. We will make history again, both in Spain and Europe. I guess the sport project is very good.

"Manchester City and Real Madrid are two different clubs with different situations. At that time (January), it was mid-season, I had a strong emotional impact due to the Italian fans requesting me to stay, and I decided to stay.

"Now another chance came up and AC Milan is in a big crisis (financially). For me, the sporting project (at Madrid) is interesting and will be an important boost to continue my career in the highest level."

"I wanted to stay on at Milan, but the world (financial) crisis affected a lot of clubs, especially those like Milan which are businesses," he continued.

"So then, I spoke with the Milan directors and we reached the conclusion that the best thing for everybody would be to sell."

Kaka also revealed that new Real president Florentino Perez has been busy "making contact" with potential targets as he looks to revive his 'Galacticos' project.

In Perez's previous stint with the club, he oversaw the acquisitions of global stars of Luis Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham, as well as Zidane.

The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, David Villa and Franck Ribery have also been linked to the Spanish capital club since Perez's unopposed election signalled the return of their vast spending.

"The president (Perez) is already making contact (with potential signings) and is putting together a competitive team, one which will try to once again become champions in Spain and Europe. That's why I chose Madrid.

"They have historic players there already, such as Raul or (Iker) Casillas. Real Madrid will be an important challenge for me. We're going to win many titles again."

Kaka also admitted he had received plenty of advice on the move from former Real player and Perez signing Beckham, who spent a short spell at Milan on loan earlier this year.

He also revealed that although the deal was only announced on Monday night, it had been in the pipeline for some time.

"I spoke to some friends, like Beckham, who has already played for Real. He said it's a fantastic place to play. I spoke to him this past week and he kept helping me, he said I made a positive choice for my career's growth," Kaka revealed.

"I wanted this move to be announced sooner. For me it's a relief that it has been announced now, although I have always be 100% focussed on the national side.

"I've been weighing up the offer from Real Madrid a lot. It's an important project for me to continue growing in my career. I'm not going to Real Madrid for money, as I had other offers. But I knew I would only leave Milan to play for Real Madrid.

"Only small details were missing, such as the medical exams I passed this morning. The deal was sealed long time ago".

He also said he hoped to put an end to Barcelona's dominance of Spanish and European football, after the Merengues' arch-rivals swept all before them this season en route to claiming Spain's first league, cup and Champions League treble.

"This will be a tough season at Real Madrid, after all that Messi conquered with Barcelona," he said.

"They're the big favourites and deservedly so. I hope Barcelona's hegemony will end in the coming years. Real Madrid will build a great team to win titles again, as it's the club's history"

Meanwhile he revealed he fell uncomfortable taking on the number five jersey once worn by Zinedine Zidane.

Perez had admitted he would like to see the Brazilian playmaker take on the shirt, but Kaka said he would not feel comfortable doing so.

He said: "Wearing the number five would be a great responsibility. Zidane was a great player, both for Real Madrid and for France, and I wouldn't like to wear the same number as he did.

"We're going to wait a bit before deciding which one to use."

And finally he had words of gratitude to Milan for launching his career in Europe, while he was also elusive about whether he would end his career in Madrid.

"I will be 33 years old by the time the (Madrid) contract ends, with the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 still to come. Lots of things will happen," he said.

"I'm not thinking today in ending my career at 33. I expect to write history there and sign a new contract, who knows, until 35. May be I'll retire then."

He added: "I want to thank Milan, as they were the club who put me on the international scene. They gave me the opportunity to become a big name in Europe.

"I'm happy to leave Milan by the front door, with a lot of friends. It has been very emotional to see what the Milan fans have done for me."

TURKEY MOVE INTERESTS KAPO

Wigan's Olivier Kapo is keen to secure a return to France, but is not ruling out moving to one of Turkey's giants.

Kapo, who has two years remaining on his Latics contract, is being tipped to leave the JJB Stadium this summer.

The French winger made just 10 Premier League starts last season and is mulling over his options in search of regular first-team football.

Kapo's preferred switch is returning to Ligue 1, but with the likes of Fenerbahce and Galatasaray expressing an interest he is also considering moving to Turkey.

"I want to return to France, but not for sentimental reasons. I have other offers on the table," he told skysports.

"Turkey? Why not, they have good crowds there and big teams.

"It could be another good experience in my life, but nothing is done yet so let's wait and see."

SCOLARI UNVEILED BY BUNYODKOR

Former Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has been appointed as the new coach of Bunyodkor, according to the Uzbek outfit.

The 60-year-old, who was dismissed by the Blues in February after barely six months in charge, has penned an 18-month contract, Bunyodkor announced on their official website.

Scolari takes over from fellow Brazilian Zico - who left the club in December to take up the hotseat at CSKA Moscow.

"Uzbek football now creates its own success story, especially Bunyodkor with its remarkable dynamism and prospects for the past four years," said Scolari on www.fcbunyodkor.com.

"Completion of a new football stadium in the town of Tashkent, which is scheduled for March 2010, will open a new era for the club.

"I know that I am in the right place at the right time and in the right team."

Bunyodkor won the Uzbek league and cup double last year and also reached the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League.

ESPINOZA CLOSE TO BLUES MOVE

Giovanny Espinoza is only awaiting his visa to finalise his move to Birmingham City.

The player's agent Jorge Guerrero has confirmed that a deal is in place and the Ecuador international will move to the club later this month.

The 32-year-old defender is arriving on a two-year deal after Birmingham agreed a nominal fee with his club Sporting Club Barcelona and he will become the second Ecuador international to arrive at the club after they also sealed a deal for his compatriot Christian Benitez.

"We are just working on a visa for Espinoza and we also have to wait for Ecuador's match with Argentina," Guerrero told the Birmingham Mail.

"As soon as Birmingham were promoted to the Premier League, we were waiting for the call.

"I know that Espinoza is really happy and his family are also very happy to be moving from Ecuador to Birmingham.

"He is a great player and is the captain of his club at the moment, he's the best player in their team but the chance to play in the Premier League is a dream for him."

Meanwhile, Oguchi Onyewu's American-based representative Lyle Yorks denied that a deal was already in place to take him to Birmingham.

The Blues look ready to win the battle to sign the Standard Liege defender - who is available on a free transfer.

But Yorks insists a deal is yet to be concluded.

"This is not true. We are only in discussions at this point," said Yorks.

TOURE'S AGENT HITS OUT AT BARCA

Yaya Toure is considering his Barcelona future but will not be signing for Arsenal, according to the midfielder's agent.

The Ivory Coast international recently stated his commitment to the European champions following speculation surrounding his future.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Toure in the past and a fresh approach has been mooted this summer.

However, Toure's agent, Dmitri Seluk, has claimed the 26-year-old has received more attractive offers from elsewhere, with Manchester City said to be interested.

"There are many teams interested in Toure," Seluk told Sport.

"He will not go to Arsenal because he has better offers and nor will he go to Germany, but his future could be in Italy or in England.

Seluk continued: "Barca have not complied with the gentleman's agreement that we reached.

"(Barca president) Laporta says that Valdes is the best goalkeeper in the world, the same about (Lionel) Messi, with Xavi, with (Andres) Iniesta... but with Toure, never anything,

"If he is not good enough to play in this team then that will be that.

"He has spent two seasons earning a minimum salary. He earns less than many of the first-team regulars and less even than some of those that hardly play at all.

"We have put our faith in the word of the club, but they have not respected it.

"Clearly he is a professional and if the club do not respect him then he would to go and that would be a shame because he feels at home at the club and in the city. He has adapted marvellously.

"Toure has done everything for Barca and always thinks about the team. He has never cause any problems and remember that last season he played a number of games while injured.

"This term, after Rafa Marquez picked up an injury, he played as a centre back and did so without complaining, while (Seydou) Keita, for instance, said he did not want to play at left-back in the UEFA Champions League final.

"Therefore, I think Toure deserves more recognition on the part of Barca."

BENITEZ - I HAVE ENOUGH CASH

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has revealed he was fully aware of the club's financial problems before he signed his new five-year contract in March.

And a defiant Benitez insists he is happy with his transfer budget and still aims to bring in "one or two" top signings ahead of next season.

The Liverpool boss was speaking in the wake of the release of the club's worrying financial figures last week, underlining the need for prudence in the transfer market.

The damaging financial reality hit home when accounts, for the season 2007-08, showed Kop Holdings lost £42.6million on the year.

Kop Holdings is the company set up by under-fire American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to run Liverpool.

Although the football club made a £10million profit, that money was swallowed up in paying the interest on the loans taken out by the Americans to buy the club.

Benitez reveals he was working last season to tie key players to new contracts, fully aware of the financial straits at the club that would be exposed this summer.

He said: "We spent some money to solve that situation, to guarantee the extension of those contracts. Now we need to improve a little bit because we are in a very good position.

"Yes, we knew it would be difficult, especially as there is a (financial) crisis all around the world.

"But when I decided to sign a five-year extension to my contract, I knew in my own mind that Liverpool is more than just a club, it is the heart of the city. It is our life.

"It means so much to a lot of people. We had to sign, we have to fight, we have to do it because we wanted to do it. The people in Liverpool are always fighters, they have done that all their lives.

"We know that. We also knew that the (financial) situation was not fantastic. But we still have a lot of confidence in our squad and we want to fight (for the title) again next season."

Benitez, who has also dismissed claims he wants Napoli's Argentinian striker Ezequiel Lavezzi, continued: "Every single year, every single week, every single day you can always talk to fans who say they are supporting you, supporting the team.

"You can see the passion is so strong and that makes a massive difference. This city has great passion, Everton fans have similar passion for their club and that is really good and our fans are amazing.

"When I talk with people in Spain (they are aware of it). Now we will go to the Far East in the summer and we will see the same thing, so many people talking about us and the club.

"It shows to me that this place is more than just a football club. It is clear that it is life to so many people."

Benitez again maintained Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso is not for sale and he will fight to ensure Javier Mascherano does not fall into the hands of European champions Barcelona following remarks from the Argentinian's agent today suggesting a deal would suit the player.

Benitez said: "Our position is very clear. We want to keep our best players and Xabi has done really well for us.

"Alonso has three years left on his contract so he is not for sale."

And, concerning the financial restraints, Benitez is now crucially talking about only "one or two" additions to his squad.

He added: "I will not give any figures (about spending power) and I will keep working without saying anything on that.

"But we do not have too much money, that is clear. But we have enough money to add one or two players that we need.

"I am very happy with the squad, they have been really good and we have competed on every front so, if we can sign one or two players, I am really positive and believe that we can improve.

"I am also positive because I have spoken about Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard not playing in the same side too many times and I hope that will change.

"We have a very good squad if we can improve just a little bit. How much do we need to improve to win a title, will it be enough?

"Certainly it will be enough to compete like last season and again we will try to compete for all the trophies right to the end.

"We have always known the (financial) situation around the world would be difficult and we would see clubs asking about some of our players.

"So the priority was to keep the key players here on new (long-term) contracts. The players who are the spine of the team."

Topal would love to swap Galatasaray for Everton

Everton target Mehmet Topal says it is his dream to play in the English Premier League.

The Galatasaray midfielder has been linked with the Toffees and would love a chance to show his wares in England.

"The Premier League is my dream league,” Topal is quoted as saying.

“It is full of pace and is very physical.

“But of course I'd like to play football in England.”

Steven Fletcher is hoping that Tony Mowbray's imminent arrival as Bhoys boss will see a possible move to Glasgow back on the agenda.

A target for Gordon Strachan in January, the Scotland striker remained at Hibernian after a bid for his services was turned down.

Now, with his former Easter Road manager Mowbray set to succeed Strachan, Fletcher has said: "I want to push myself to further my career and if that means moving on from Hibs, then so be it.

"If I'm good enough, then happy days. If I'm not, then we'll see what happens."

He added: "Tony was a big help for me. I was just breaking through at Hibs when he was there and he knew when to play me and when I needed a rest.

"He was a massive influence on my career, not just as a manager, but as a friend, too.

"I was just a young boy and it was a bit daunting going into the first-team dressing room, but he was great."

et again silly season has arrived and as usual we at SheWore are putting together the complete list of players linked to The Arsenal over the summer transfer window. Some players will be linked by their agents to up the players wages, some by clubs wanting to increase the players sell on price, but players will be mainly linked to us to sell a few newspapers and get a few hits on Internet sites...

The list so far...

A.
B. Barry, Bassong, Babel, Barnetta, Buffon
C. Cana, Chamakh, Chiellini
D. Dzeko, De La Red, Delph
E.
F.
G. Genter, Gomis
H. Hangeland, Huntelaar, Henry (!)
I.
J. Johnson
K.
L.
M. Mbia, Melo de Carvalho, Matuidi
N.
O.
P. Pandev, (Yohann) Pele
Q.
R.
S. Santa Cruz, Sakho, Saviet, Shelvey
T. Toure (Yaya), Thompson (from Swindon), Tuncay
U.
V. Veloso, Vermaelen, Villa
W. Wheater
X. Xavi Alonso
Y.
Z. Zapata

According to the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper, FSV Mainz 05 general manager, Christian Heidel, said "Everything is said, this is a done deal."

Christian Heidel said that Muller will go head-to-head with Dimo Wache for the number one position, but there would be no guarantee Muller would be starting the first game.

Dimo Wache, 35, has played 333 games over the last decade for Mainz, but will face stiff competition in the form of Heinz Muller.

The fee is a reported E600,000 (£500,000).

Most likely Luke Steele will now be wearing the number one shirt for the new season

Who does everyone support?