Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and QPR are the talk of the papers today.
All the rumour, gossip, and news you need to know from the last 24 hours
Manchester United are still keen on Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and are willing to offer Dimitar Berbatov in part exchange to seal the deal, say the Mirror. Sir Alex Ferguson went to watch Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup Final a fortnight ago, and will have been more than impressed by the striker’s hat-trick. Another transfer target Shinji Kagawa was also on show, and Berbatov may be the ace up United’s sleeve. The Bulgarian is believed to want a return to German football, where he previously played with Bayer Leverkusen. United are keen to wrap up a deal for Lewandowski before he increases his transfer value at Euro 2012.
The speculation over Luka Modric‘s future is stepping up, with top clubs chasing his signature. Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid are all in the hunt, report the Mail. The problem facing Spurs report the paper, is that the Croatian is likely to leave it until after Euro 2012 to tell his club that he wants to leave. The Telegraph report that Chelsea are ready to sanction a £40 million bid, while Tottenham really want £50 million, but that price is likely to cause even Madrid to hold back, say the Mail. The same paper say that Gareth Bale is likely to be priced out of a dream move to Barcelona.
One man Barcelona do hope to be able to afford, is Manchester City right-back Pablo Zabaleta. The Argentine used to play for their rivals Espanyol, and the club want him to replace Dani Alves whose defensive limitations have led to frustration at the Camp Nou. The Sun report that Barcelona will bid £10 million for the defender, and although City have Micah Richards, they would surely only allow him to leave if they sign a replacement.
Going back to Tottenham, and it appears the deal the club have in place to sign Jan Vertonghen is still on. The Belgian appears to have rejected overtures from Arsenal, and is most keen on playing for Spurs, despite their lack of Champions League football. Chairman Daniel Levy is reported to have flown to Holland to hold talks with Ajax in an attempt to thrash out a deal. The club are also hoping to convince Marseille striker Loic Remy to join, as well as clinching a deal for Emmanuel Adebayor.
With Roberto Martinez undertaking talks with Liverpool, west London club QPR are attempting to take advantage of the uncertainty at Wigan Athletic. The Loftus Road club want to complete a deal to sign Victor Moses, believing they can sign him for just £5 million. It is most likely Wigan would reject such an offer, and hold out for £10 million. QPR were unsuccessful in bidding for Christopher Samba in January when they failed to meet his valuation and it seems they are going the cut-price route once again. Moses may also be advised to hold out to see if Martinez chooses to take him to Liverpool, should he be installed as manager.
image: © wuestenigel
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