Latest Transfer News: Adebayor and Hleb Out?
May 19, 2008 by CLDsport
Monday 19th May 2008
With any summer break comes transfer speculation. It’s what keeps us fans going until the start of the season - and can almost be as exciting. This year, speculation is rife and involves some big names, and many millions of pounds. Is this summer set to be the biggest transfer period in history? Or is it just all rumours?
Yesterday, we reported that Tottenham are favourites to sign Samuel Eto’o for a club record £24million, and now team mate Thierry Henry has urged the striker to quit the Catalan giants. It also seems that Spurs are keen on signing £15million rated Dean Ashton from West Ham ALONGSIDE Eto’o. This is surely the biggest sign yet that the club are preparing to lose Dimitar Berbatov - and may even use the Bulgarian as part of the Eo’o deal - with Juande Ramos reportedly setting up Michael Owen as a replacement should the Eto’o deal not go ahead.
Thierry Henry may also be set to leave Barcelona. Recent reports suggest a return to the premier league, but fresh reports today claim that new MLS side Seattle Sounders have offered Henry £5.2million a year to join them.
Arsenal are set to lose Alexander Hleb, and Emanuel Adebayor to Inter and Barcelona respectively - after already seeing Flamini leave for Milan. Adebayor has indicated he is leaving the Emirates - and obviously couldn’t be bothered to think of a good excuse, simply saying that London is too noisy!
Arsene Wenger is reportedly interested in swooping for Roque Santa Cruz of Blackburn as a replacement for Adebayor and has also been linked with Marseille playmaker Samir Nasri (labelled the new Zidane), midfielder Jean II Makoun of Lille, along with St Etienne right-back Mouhamadou Dabo.
As reported here, Niko Kranjcar is also set to move to North London, with Portsmouth set to receive £12million for the 23-year-old Croatian. Reports today suggest that Portsmouth are looking to replace Kranjcar with Liverpool’s Harry Kewell.
Liverpool themselves have made Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry their top target, but Benitez is reportedly willing to turn his attention to Stewart Downing if this move fails. Downing has just signed a new contract with Middlesbrough, and has already turned down Spurs this year. Liverpool may prove too difficult to resist however, with Benitez set to bid £12million for the winger.
More transfer speculation as we hear it at CLDsport…….
[...] few weeks back, we reported that Arsense Wenger was interested in signing Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz as a replacement [...]