Football Dispatch

Tuesday Football
05 June 2007
Chelsea are planning to scuttle Liverpool's much-anticipated acquisition of Daniel Alves. The 25-year-old Brazilian is capable of playing at full-back and midfield positions on the right-hand side of the park – making him a much-coveted commodity to both English sides. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho used five players at the full-back position last season; while his Liverpool counterpart Rafael Benitez rode the dependable Steve Finnan throughout much of the campaign. Alves and his representatives met with Chelsea's Frank Arnesen at the weekend after Brazil's 1-1 draw with England at Wembley. The London giants are prepared to offer either Paulo Ferreira or Khalid Boulahrouz as components of a swap-deal. Alves has been valued at approximately 12M-pounds.

The arrival of June has not seen the situation at the Emirates Stadium become any less cloudy. Arsene Wenger's future at Arsenal remains up in the air after a boardroom coup which led to the exit of David Dein and overtures from Real Madrid. Last month, while in the Spanish capital to sort-out the Julio Baptista loan-deal, Wenger hinted that he may exit the Gunners over the summer and bring midfielder Cesc Fabregas along with him to a new club. Madrid have long been admirers of the 20-year-old Spanish international and would be seen as the most likely destination for both. Fabregas, in speaking with reporters, yesterday, remarked that his "future depends on Wenger." With both AC Milan and Barcelona attempting to lure skipper Thierry Henry from the Premiership, a mass-exodus at Arsenal could just be getting under way.

Representatives from Marseille and Bayern Munich will meet over the next few days to sort-out the transfer of Franck Ribery. The France international's move to the Bundesliga was considered a done-deal last month; but, as it happens, no agreement has been signed and the player has yet to pass a medical examination in Bavaria. Still, Ribery's arrival in Munich is imminent and will cost the German giants 25M-euros. With Luca Toni's signature already secured, Bayern appear headed in the right direction after a disastrous season which concluded in the club's failure to qualify for next term's Champions' League.

Newcastle are poised to announce the double-swoop of Mark Viduka and Joey Barton. Sam Allardyce has already come to terms with Viduka – acquiring his services from Middlesbrough through a free transfer. The 31-year-old Australia international was one of the top strikers in the Premiership last season and drew interest from at least five different English clubs. Barton, meanwhile, appears to be leaning to Tyneside after also entertaining an offer from Alan Curbishley at West Ham. The 24-year-old will travel to Upton Park later this week, but is expected to sign for Newcastle after all is said and done.

Alberto Gilardino is unsettled at AC Milan and has requested a transfer. The club's vice-president, Adriano Galliani, remarked, yesterday, that "his coments in recent days are not particularly pleasing to us." As such, Milan are prepared to meet the player's demands and accommodate his exit from the San Siro. Perhaps ambitiously, the club is tagging a 24M-euro value to the Italy international striker. Gilardino scored just 12-goals in the Serie-A last season.

Bolton Wanderers are lining-up a loan agreement for Djibril Cisse. The 25-year-old Liverpool forward spent all of last season at Marseille after failing to make an impact at Anfield in the wake of his 14M-pound transfer from Auxerre in 2004. However, his superb form to conclude the Ligue-1 season was central to Marseille's Champions' League qualification; and the club will certainly be looking to extend his loan into next season.

Inter Milan seem to have tired of Adriano's lifestyle. The 25-year-old Brazil international striker is notorious for his off-field revelry and has played much of his European career amidst questions surrounding his fitness. With that in mind, Roberto Mancini has offered a one-for-one player-swap for Chelsea's Andriy Shevchenko. The 31-year-old Ukrainian is unlikely to approve the deal, however, having played much of his career at Inter's arch-rival AC Milan.

Manchester City's failure to land a big-name manager continued, today, as Juande Ramos pulled out of the running. The Sevilla boss led his side to a second consecutive UEFA Cup triumph last month and is still in the running for both the Copa del Rey and La Liga title. Contracted through next season, Ramos has begun negotiations on a contract extension which would keep him at Sevilla for the foreseeable future. City's third-choice candidate, Gerrard Houllier, now looks a shoo-in for the job at Eastlands.

Jason Koumas is attempting to orchestrate a transfer to Everton. The Liverpool-born midfielder had a superb season at West Bromwich Albion and will make a move to the Premiership in the coming weeks. The 27-year-old Wales international stated, yesterday, that "a move back to the city would be a dream move for me." With Toffees manager David Moyes having struck-out on Joey Barton and David Nugent, a swoop for Koumas looks to be in the cards at Goodison Park.