CaughtOffside » Manchester City FC

Arsenal Want £25m Classy Pair, Man United Want £38m Spaniard, Liverpool In Battle to Sign £30m Striker, Real Madrid Make £30m Bid for Man City Attacker, Tottenham Pursue Newcastle United Star, Chelsea Close In On £25m Playmaker, Brendan Rodgers Lined Up as Redknapp Replacment, Aston Villa Fail In Robbie Keane Loan Extension Move, Bayern Munich Win Swiss Starlet Race and Much Much More

Mr Neutral — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:37:31 +0000

Transfer rumour round-up.

Spurs eyeing up Rodgers as potential Redknapp replacement

Aston Villa have failed to extend the loan deal of LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane after the Major League Soccer side rebuffed their request to increase his stay.

Full story: Express and Star

Liverpool Hope to Beat Man City In £30m Race for La Liga Striker

The Newshound — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:30:25 +0000

Anfield boss fights Roberto Mancini in Spanish international chase.

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Liverpool and Manchester City are set for a summer battle over the signature of Spanish star Fernando Llorente according to reports in this morning’s Spanish media.
Roberto Mancini and Kenny Dalglish both want the Athletic Bilbao striker but would have to pay around €36 million to bring the 26-year-old to the Etihad Stadium or Anfield.

Liverpool have been linked with Llorente for a number of months, however this morning Spanish daily AS claim City are willing to pay the player €7 million per season, which would dwarf the €2.5 million he is currently on at San Mames.

SOURCE: El Centro Campista

The time is probably right for Athletic Bilbao forward Fernando Llorente to finally consider leaving the San Mames side he has represented since the age of 11 and a move to the Premier League looks fairly realistic as neither of the two main La Liga giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have as yet made a move for the giant Spanish international.

The 26 year old striker has been in very consistent form over the past four seasons and has already netted 19 goals this term and Liverpool may well see the 6ft 5in forward as a possible strike partner for Luis Suarez, though Kenny Dalglish does appear to still have faith in Andy Carroll so perhaps a move for Llorente would be merely in order to have three top notch options up front, in which case the £30m needed to fork out to sign the Athletic Bilbao man would appear to be a big price to pay for a back up option.

Man City have a number of in form striking options to call upon with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli all doing well this term, so well in fact that Carlos Tevez’s AWOL trip to Argentina has not had the least bit of affect on the club’s Premier League title charge.

There has however been talk of AC Milan’s supposed interest in Balotelli which would of course open the door for another attacking addition.

Fernando Llorente is ready made for the physical nature of the English top tier and would surely be a big success in the Premier League.

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Ten Premier League Players Destined to Leave Their Clubs This Summer

Mad Dog and Glory — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:25:05 +0000

Ten players who will almost certainly be on their way out from their current clubs at the end of the season, but where will they end up?

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Andrei Arshavin

Arsenal sure to give up on attacker who may well be heading for a Russian return.

Manchester City Line Up Real Madrid Transfer Raid

Steven Constable — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:46:36 +0000

Spanish radio reporting Real Madrid ace on way to Etihad Stadium.

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Manchester City are to make a summer move for Real Madrid centre back Raul Albiol, according to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.

The Spain international centre back has only started two league games this season, with a variety of factors contributing to his lack of game time.

One of those is the fractured cheekbone he suffered earlier this season, but another is the repositioning of fellow Spain international defender Sergio Ramos.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has moved Ramos inside to the middle of the back line, believing his increased athleticism makes him a better partner for Pepe, with Alvaro Arbeloa typically stepping into Ramos’ right back slot.

Albiol is still a talented centre back though, with the tall 26 year-old racking up plenty of experience for Valencia and Real Madrid over the past decade.

Cadena Ser claim Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has requested Albiol’s services personally, and he could prove a fine option for the Etihad Stadium outfit to have.

Should Man City fail to land their man, it has been suggested that Juventus will instead enter the bidding.

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Arsenal Plan Shock Barcelona Pair Bid, Man United Want £22m Playmaker, Liverpool Launch Barcelona Raid, Tottenham Set for £50m Bale Bid, Rangers Target Newcastle United Striker, Chelsea Linked With £50m Striker Swap, Stoke City Defender Linked With Chinese Move, AC Milan to Offload Ten, Man City Targets Spanish Defender and Much Much More

Mr Neutral — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:44:32 +0000

Transfer rumour round-up.

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Chelsea admit defeat in hunt for Brazilian hitman

Full story: FootyBunker

Aston Villa eyeing Premier League stalwart as defensive reinforcement

Full story: FootyBunker

Liverpool And Manchester City Transfer Target Issues Come And Get Me Plea

Steven Constable — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:30:58 +0000

Fiorentina star set for Old Trafford or Anfield?

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Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic has signalled his desire to move to England, with Manchester City and Liverpool likely to be at the front of the queue for his signature.

The Montenegro forward has been mightily impressive for the Florence club since returning from a cruciate knee ligament injury that kept him out for the entire season.

This season, Jovetic has scored 12 goals in 17 Serie A matches, and at the age of just 22 is already blossoming into a fine goalscorer.

Man City are very publicly looking to offload their troubled striker Carlos Tevez, which would leave senior forwards of Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko.

All great players, but Roberto Mancini is thought to want four players to ease the effects of the gruelling fixture list upon his players.

Liverpool’s need for a forward is well documented, with their desperately poor chance conversion rate of just 8.5% the worst in the league.

Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy all have some brilliant – and very different – attributes, but unfortunately not one of them is as proficient at putting away chances as they currently require.

It was that profligacy that saw Kenny Dalglish linked with a move for Aston Villa striker Darren Bent in the summer, but it would seem the Reds are looking for a player more capable of involvement in link play.

Jovetic certainly possesses that quality, being able to play either behind a striker or out wide, and he could very well be a fine solution to the goalscoring difficulties currently at Anfield.

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Man City Goalkeeper Joe Hart Speaks Out On England Captaincy Rumours

The Newshound — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:42:13 +0000

Etihad Stadium goalkeeper feels he is not the best candidate.

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Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has played down talk he would become England captain in the wake of the public furore surrounding John Terry.

The Chelsea defender had the armband stripped from him by the FA – although Three Lions boss Fabio Capello wasn’t particularly delighted at the decision.

Many have suggested England squad members from left field for the role as Terry’s replacement, with Scott Parker, Ashley Cole and Gareth Barry amongst those put forward alongside more obvious choice Steven Gerrard.

The other name in the mix though was Joe Hart, despite the doubts many have about a goalkeeper being able to lead a team so far away from the furthest forward players on his side.

Hart himself is not sure he would be the right choice.

“I am flattered to be linked with it but anyone who’s having a consistent run in the England side is being linked with it,” explained Hart.

“There are a lot stronger candidates than me.

“I don’t have a view on who should be captain. As long as I’m playing I don’t care.

“I have got a really important season with games for Manchester City and hopefully a couple for England coming up.

“That is all I am concentrating on at the moment.”

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15 Dumb Transfers, Arsenal Plot £30m Playmaker Bid, 7 Big January Gambles, 10 Most Embarrasing Liverpool Transfer Flops, Man United Target £20m Centre Back, Wolves Join Chase for Lower League Goal Machine, AC Milan Confirm Interest In Man City Striker, Chelsea Keen On Serie A Playmaker, Tottenham Line Up Championship Starlet Bid and Much Much More

Mr Neutral — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:16:55 +0000

Transfer rumour round-up.

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AC Milan are leading the chase to sign Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli and hope to clinch his signature during the summer, according to reports in Italy.

Full story: talkSPORT

Demba Ba insists he is happy at Newcastle and is not looking to cash in on his signing-of-the-season status with a big money move away.

Full story: Daily Mirror

(Video) Mario Balotelli Performs Awful Magic Trick That’s So Bad, It’s Good

Mad Dog and Glory — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:20:16 +0000

Watch as the Man City striker puts a cloth over a Coke can and then picks up the Coke can, where could it be? Would’ve been more impressive if Carlos Tevez suddenly appeared in place of the Coke can.

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Sexy Glamour Model and Man City TV Presenter Natalie Pike: Hot Image Gallery

Mr Comfort — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:25:04 +0000

A good reason to play close attention to Man City’s matchday coverage, even if you’re not a fan!

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