44 goals in 77 appearances for Moscow was the impressive haul which alerted The Citizens to his talents, and Mark Hughes deftly swooped to make Jo his first City signing. It appears that Hughes’ days of wheeling and dealing are over, as the £19m fee being touted is the type of fee spent by teams chasing glory.

Just last Wednesday, Man City chief executive Garry Cook said:

“Jo is a player who interests us and we’re currently in discussions with CSKA Moscow and his representatives,”

Now it is clear that the discussions were successful, and Manchester City fans will surely be delighted to see their club taking steps in the right direction. Especially after the recent controversial handling of ex-manager Sven Goran Eriksson.

Jo’s move to the City of Manchester stadium could also pave the way for fellow Brazilian Ronaldinho to follow, as surely it would be a more attractive to move to Manchester with a friend already there.

Jo’s move is not without controversy, with top agent Kia Joorabchian involved. It was thought that some of the fee would be going to a third party, which is against English regulations, but it now appears that a percentage will be going to his old club Corinthians because of a sell-on clause which took him to CSKA Moscow in the first place.

“CSKA Moscow have an agreement in place with his previous club Corinthians, who would collect a certain percentage of the sell-on fee.

“This is not, however, a third-party ownership. It’s an arrangement between two clubs and is no different from any other deals which contain such clauses. Joorabchian’s spokesman

So with the deal looking legit, the only costly thing in this deal would be the astronomical fee. City fans will be hoping they will see the return in goals.

The Liverpool Daily Post is reporting today that Dossena is undergoing a medical in Merseyside, and could be just days away from signing for an expected £7m.

The Italian left back is due to get married this weekend but such is his desire to sign for the Reds he has taken time out from his wedding preparations to fly to Merseyside to undergo his medical.

A fee in the region of £7m has been agreed with Udinese and terms have also been agreed with the player who was revealed as Rafa Benitez’s number one target for the left back position in the ECHO last month. (Liverpool Daily Post)

A player that takes time out of his wedding plans to sign with the Reds? It looks like Rafa has found another player willing to sacrifice his time for the good of the club (if you can really call snubbing your bird to sign a new contract sacrificing for the good of the team!).

Do Liverpool supporters think Dossena is the right man to take over the left-back duties? Or were you hoping Rafa would find someone else to take over the role?

Well If United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has his way, he may yet add another piece to the puzzle that would surely make every team in the Premiership quake in their boots.

The be-all end-all paper that is The Sun is reporting that United are prepared to use the chaos going over at Blackburn to their advantage. The club is planning a massive bid to take Paraguayan ace, Roque Santa Cruz, out of the turmoil and into the loving arms of SAF.

Manchester United are planning to bid £15 million to lure Santa Cruz to Old Trafford, after Sir Alex Ferguson was persuaded to give up on a bid to sign Thierry Henry. (The Sun)

Surely this is just paper talk, but if this deal were true, could you imagine how scary it would be to go up against a strike group that included Tevez, Rooney and Santa Cruz? I think I see four or five Premiership teams wetting themselves as we speak.

So what’s your take United supporters? Is Santa Cruz the man to push United even further ahead of the pack? Or would you rather see SAF spend the £15m elsewhere?

Degen, 25, will make the move to Merseyside on a free transfer from German outfit Borussia Dortmund on July 1 when his current contract expires.

“[Degen] is an offensive player with great energy and a winning mentality,” the Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez told the club website.

“His strength is going forward and I am confident he will be prove to be a quality addition to our squad.”

Having played in the Champions League, Uefa Cup and expected to feature for his country at Euro 2008, there’s no doubt Degen has plenty of experience. It remains to be seen, however, whether he will be a first-team regular for Liverpool or just necessary cover for the ever-inconsistent Alvaro Arbeloa.

Degen’s arrival may well signal the end of Steven Finnan’s time on Merseyside. The Irishman struggled to break into the first-team last season and, being on the wrong side of thirty, could well be on his way out of Anfield.

Still, Degen’s happy.

“When I received the offer from Liverpool,” he told Liverpool FC.tv, “there was no doubt I would accept it. They are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am looking forward to the challenge of establishing myself there and playing in the best league there is.”