Sampdoria have reportedly been priced out of a move for ex-AC Milan hitman Alexandre Pato but cash-rich French outfit Monaco are ready to rescue him from his Brazilian misery. According to Sky Italia the Serie A side were lining up an ambitious move for the former San Siro favourite, only to discover he would cost at least £11million. Now Monaco and Bundesliga side Wolfsburg head the race to bring back the Brazil international from a difficult spell in his homeland and could put an offer on the table this week. The 24-year-old is said to have already expressed an interest…
Author: Staff Writer
Liverpool defender Jose Enrique opened up about his return to the first-team fold after being named in the Reds’ squad for today’s pre-season friendly against Preston North End. The ex-Newcastle United man was last week forced to dismiss rumours that he was struggling to regain his fitness after finally returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines but this afternoon admitted it has been “a nightmare”. The Spaniard, who made only nine appearances last season due to a serious knee injury, made his long-awaited return to training with his team-mates last week and was widely-expected to play in the midweek…
Arsenal expect out-of-favour captain Thomas Vermaelen to decide on his future by the end of July, Football Express News understands. The Belgium international lost his place in the side at the start of last season and was often left on the substitutes’ bench as Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker went on to form a formidable partnership. A source close to the Emirates Stadium told FEN the 28-year-old, who has entered the final year of his contract, is free to leave during the summer transfer window but will not be forced out of the club. The insider revealed Vermaelen can stay…
Atletico Madrid will step up their pursuit of Napoli midfielder Valon Behrami this weekend, according to reports in Italy. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims the former West Ham United man is the subject of strong interest from the La Liga champions, who hope to secure his services by the middle of next week. The Switzerland international could join fellow countryman Blerim Dzemaili in heading for the exit door, as Sevilla close in on his signature. Napoli are thought to be clearing room in the engine room for the arrival of Borussia Monchengladbach’s Christoph Kramer, who played for Germany in the…
Barcelona are reportedly battling it out with Bayern Munich for the signature of Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado. According to Catalan publication Sport, the Colombia international is almost certain to depart the Serie A club before the end of the summer transfer window and two of Europe’s heavyweights are leading the race. The report claims the Viola will hold out for somewhere in the region of £33million after increasing his asking price in the light of his impressive performances in the World Cup. He was one of Colombia’s stand-out players in their run to the quarter-finals of the competition, which saw…
Lazio have intensified their pursuit of Feyenoord defender Stefan de Vrij in the hope of beating Manchester United to his signature, according to fresh reports in the Italian media. Il Tempo claims the Serie A outfit will step up their attempts to land the Holland international over the weekend but are by no means guaranteed to clinch a deal, as his club is unwilling to do business. Feyenoord will only sell if they receive a big-money offer, which arguably puts United in the driving seat as they have a bigger summer transfer window budget than the Italians. The Dutch side…
Real Madrid are reportedly ready to ignore head coach Carlo Ancelotti’s plea to keep winger Angel Di Maria as a move to the Premier League edges closer. As Football Express News reported earlier on today, long-term admirers Manchester United have been joined by bitter rivals Liverpool in the race to secure the Argentina international’s signature. And according to As, boss Ancelotti sees the player as an integral part of his plans for the 2014-15 campaign – but his views are likely to be overlooked as the Bernabeu hierarchy have decided they will sell him if a big enough offer comes…
The transfer saga surrounding Liverpool target Davide Astori has dragged into the weekend after he failed to meet Lazio’s deadline to join the Rome side. Cagliari centre-half Astori and his representatives were given until the end of Thursday to make a definitive decision on a four-year deal which has been on the table for several weeks. The ultimatum was overlooked and the 27-year-old remains in limbo, having decided to leave his current club during the summer transfer window rather than pen a contract extension. A source close to Anfield told Football Express News the Reds are keeping an eye on…
Manchester City are ready to move on to other targets after missing out on Napoli defender Raul Albiol, Football Express News understands. As Italian source TuttoSport has reported, the Premier League champions had high hopes of luring the versatile utility man to England during the summer transfer window, only for his head coach Rafael Benitez to intervene. The Spaniard was not willing to see his compatriot leave Naples as he sees him as a key member of the squad for next term, dashing the Blues’ hopes of snapping him up in the coming weeks. A source close to the Etihad…
Sunderland are raising money for the families of the two Newcastle United fans who were killed in the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crash. The Wearside outfit’s SAFC Museum has used social media site Twitter to request retweets in order to donate two shirts to raise funds. Former Black Cats manager Peter Reid has also been retweeting messages of support. Near neighbours Newcastle yesterday paid tribute to John Alder and Liam Sweeney after receiving confirmation that the two friends were among the 298 casualties. The men were on their way to New Zealand to watch the Magpies in their pre-season tour…