Manchester United to battle Bayern for 16-year-old Croat
Manchester United have joined Bayern Munich in the race for young Croatian midfielder Dino Spehar.
The Manchester United scouts had arrived to Croatia in order to watch Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Sime Vrsaljko but were instead impressed by Osijek player Dino Spehar as he scored just seven minutes into his debut.
Spehar’s performances for Croatia youth teams had previously alerted Bayern Munich, with the Germans already contacting the player’s representatives.
The two giants are now set to battle for one of the hottest prospects in Croatia, although it remains to be seen whether Osijek would be willing to let him or maybe wait until his price increases.
In the meantime, Sir Alex Ferguson says the signing of Aalesund keeper Anders Lindegaard will be completed during the next few weeks.
“It is not completed at the moment but there has not been a hiccup either. It will probably happen in the next two or three weeks,” Ferguson said.
[Source: Daily Mail]
Atletico Madrid readying bid for Bundesliga hotshot
Atletico Madrid are seriously thinking about making an offer for Schalke star Ivan Rakitic as they plan to reinforce the squad with an attacking midfielder.
Los Colchoneros have shown a lot of potential this season but they want to sign two more players in January in order to mount a serious top 4 challenge.
Atletico officials want a player who can play just behind strikers Aguero and Forlan, with Schalke’s Ivan Rakitic seen as the perfect fit.
After the exploding start to his career at Schalke, Rakitic seems to have slowed down lately, so a move to ambitious Atletico Madrid could help him kick-start his career.
The relations between the two clubs are pretty good at the moment after Atletico sold Jurado to Schalke and los Colchoneros seems to have regretted selling the young Spaniard as they are now looking for a player with very similar qualities.
Seeing that Ivan Rakitic is no longer considered an indispensable part of the Schalke squad, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Germans sell the Croatian midfielder to Atletico in a move that would benefit all the involved parties.
[Source: AS]
Juve tie down Giorgio Chiellini
Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has signed a new contract with the Bianconeri which should keep him at the club until 2015.
As of today, the Italy international will be earning €3.5 million per season plus performance related bonuses.
The deal was signed yesterday at a meeting attended by Chiellini, his agent, Beppe Marotta, Andrea Agnelli and lawyer Michele Briamonte.
“Chiellini is a key player, he represents the present and the future of Juventus,” Beppe Marotta said.
“The renewal of the contract is a sign of his great attachment to Juventus jersey, and our willingness to build a competitive team of great players like Giorgio from today and for years to come.”
The player himself was delighted to sign a new deal at Olimpico.
“I am very pleased with this agreement, which binds me to Juventus for the next few years.
”This is my team in which I have a great satisfaction and plan to win something important. I thank the club for the confidence shown in me as they demonstrated a willingness to extend our relationship.”
This is clearly another step in the right direction for Juve, as the Bianconeri look to build a side capable of reminding their fans to the old glory days.
[Source: Juventus]
For more news about football transfers and rumours, visit our Transfer News section. To view all football transfers for 2010/11 season, visit our Soccer Transfers section.
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