City to sign Israeli wonderkid; Inter want Benzema in exchange for Maicon

Manchester City set to sign Israeli wonderkid

Manchester City have reportedly clinched the signing of former Barcelona midfielder Gai Assulin after the successful trial period at the Eastlands.

The 19-year-old has been out of contract ever since his contract with Barcelona expired in the summer and he seems to have finally done enough to persuade City chiefs to offer him a four-year deal.

City were on the verge of signing Assulin in the summer but his knee injury scuppered the deal, but he has since passed a medical at Eastlands and was set to a rehabilitation clinic to speed up his recovery.

The Citzens have now decided to sign the player on a four-year contract with Assulin set to join the reserve team. The player also has a Spanish citizenship, which means he won’t need a work permit.

This is surely quite a coup for City as they have acquired the services of one of the hottest prospects in European football for free, although the best way for Assulin to continue proper development is to be farmed out on loan since he is unlikely to be given a chance by Roberto Mancini this season.

[Source: Sport]

Inter want Benzema in exchange for Maicon

Inter have shown interest in Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema and the Neroazzurri are even prepared to offer Maicon in exchange for the Frenchman.

Maicon was on the verge of the move to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, while he is still unhappy at Inter even though the club agreed to give him a €700,000 pay rise.

The full-back has reportedly sacked his agent Antonio Caliendo and the reports from Italy suggest Mino Raiola will take him under his wing.

Massimo Moratti is reluctant to sell the Brazilian but he may agree to let him go provided Real send Karim Benzema the other way, as well as a big sum of money to make up for the difference in the players’ valuation.

Juventus and Manchester United have also been keeping tabs on Benzema, but Inter have an ace up their sleeve called Maicon and that might just do the trick. The proposed move could prove to be right move for both Inter and Real.

[Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport]

Barcelona trio in line for new deals

Barcelona chiefs have set their sights on tying important players in the squad to new deals, with three of them set to be offered a contract extension.

Dani Alves and Sergio Busquets have become key players in the side and the board of directors wants to reward them with new deals, whereas they will also show Bojan Krkic they believe in him even though he has yet to realize his full potential.

The club have already contacted Dani Alves’ representatives as they prepare to offer him a three-year contract extension that will see him remain at Camp Nou until 2015 and there seem to be no obstacles to the agreement.

Sergio Busquets and Bojan Krkic are also set to be offered new deals even though their current contracts do not expire before 2013, but the negotiations could prove to be difficult as the players expect a pay rise that corresponds with their new status in the team.

The Catalans are definitely doing the right thing in starting the negotiations so early since they will thus have enough time to sort out any issues that might arise.

[Source: El Mundo Deportivo]

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