Chelsea keeping tabs on Dutch World Cup star; Buffon could leave Juve for Roma

Chelsea keeping tabs on Dutch World Cup star

Chelsea are readying bid for Ajax full-back Gregory van der Wiel, according to The Mirror.

With Jose Bosingwa set to leave the Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, the Blues are desperate to sign a world-class right-back and thus complete their back line.

Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly singled out Ajax full-back Gregory van der Wiel as the number one target and it is thought that the Holland international would be tempted to leave Amsterdam Arena at the end of the season.

Chelsea have already made enquires about the availability of the Dutch star and the Blues are expected to step up their interest in the coming days.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom ever since he was handed a first team debut in 2007 and he was an important part of Bert van Marwijk’s side that reached the World Cup final in South Africa.

Impressive technical qualities and a great composure with which he plays the game make Van der Wiel one of the best full-backs in Europe, with his attacking runs often wreaking havoc upon opposition defenders.

Despite his fragile age, the Dutch international already has a huge experience at the biggest stage and he is expected to fit right into the Chelsea squad.

Buffon could leave Juve for Roma

Gianluigi Buffon has yet to decide whether he will stay on at Juve after this season ends, while being the subject of interest from Roma.

The 33-year-old keeper has had his doubts over the course in which Juventus are going and has hinted on several occasions that he could leave the club in the near future.

The Bianconeri are hoping Buffon will accept a significant pay cut to his current contract, under which he is thought to be earning around €6.5 million per season, but that is likely to further upset the player.

The experienced keeper could instead decide to look for a new challenge and he would have no problem finding a club with clubs like Manchester United and Roma interested in his services.

After the American consortium completed the club takeover, Roma have emerged as favourites for the player’s signature since new owner Thomas Di Benedetto will be looking to flatter the Roma fans with big name signings in the summer.

Should Juventus decide to sell the Italy international to Roma, they would ask for Mirko Vucinic in exchange, as well as some extra cash.

[Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport]

Napoli set for summer shopping spree

Napoli plan to spend no less than €40 million on new players in the summer as they look to reinforce the squad for next season.

Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has been delighted with team’s performances this season and he is keen to invest more money to keep the Partenopei at the top of Italian football.

As Il Corriere dello Sport reports, De Laurentiis will allocate extra funds for transfers in the summer should Napoli manage to qualify for the Champions League.

Club’s sporting director, Riccardo Bigon has already identified several targets and it is believed the midfield will be the first area to be addressed.

Napoli have been linked with moves for Lucas Leiva and Gokhan Inler, while Villarreal playmaker Borja Valero is also in the mix.

The Partenopei have already reached an agreement with Estudiantes to sign defender Federico Fernandez, while they are close to completing a deal to take Groningen promising striker Tim Matavz to San Paolo.

As things now stand, Napoli are determined to return to old glory days and I wouldn’t be surprised if they manage to acquire most of their targets.

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