Milan line up move for Mangala; Schalke to bid for Dortmund’s Santana

Milan line up move for Mangala

AC Milan are keeping close tabs on Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala, Il Corriere dello Sport has revealed.

The Rossoneri are still searching for a high-profile central defender to fill the gap left by the departure of Thiago Silva and they are looking at a number of players.

Italy internationals Davide Astori and Angelo Ogbonna have been under their watchful eye for quite a while, but Il Corriere dello Sport claims that Porto stopper Eliaquim Mangala have moved to the top of their wish list.

Milan had the player watched as Porto beat Malaga in the Champions League last 16 stage clash, and they were quite impressed with the Frenchman.

One of the obstacles to the deal is Porto’s €20 million valuation of the player, while the fact other high-profile clubs such as Manchester City are also keen is another cause for concern.

Mangala, 22, joined Porto in a €7 million deal from Standard Liege, and there is every chance that the Dragons will earn a nice profit on the player in the summer.

Schalke to bid for Dortmund’s Santana

German daily Bild understands that Schalke are considering a move for Borussia Dortmund stopper Felipe Santana.

With Kyriakos Papadopoulos missing most of the season through injury and Joel Matip playing below his potential, club officials are keen to add another central defender to the squad in the summer.

According to Bild, the Miners have set their sights on Dortmund centre-back Felipe Santana and are already planning a summer bid for the player’s services.

Santana, 26, has recently signed a new deal until June 2014 with BVB, but he has a release clause that allows him to leave for mere €2 million in the summer.

The Brazilian has been unable to break into the starting line-up at Signal-Iduna Park with Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic in front of him in the pecking order.

He, however, still dreams about representing his country at the 2014 World Cup and believes regular first team football will significantly aid his chances.

It is for that reason that he can be expected to accept an offer from Schalke despite the fact that he is still rated highly in Dortmund.

Anzhi offer for Kaboul rejected

Russian free-spenders Anzhi have had their loan bid for defender Younes Kaboul rejected by Tottenham, L’Equipe has revealed.

Still searching for a new centre-back to replace Christopher Samba, the Russian club submitted a loan proposal for Spurs defender Younes Kaboul.

Anzhi were prepared to offer the player €4 million per campaign in wages, but their loan bid was rejected by Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas.

The Portuguese manager values the French defender highly and he didn’t want to stay without him ahead of the season finale.

Kaboul, 27, has missed the majority of the current season through a knee injury, although having resumed full training some two weeks ago, he is expected to be available for selection in some ten days.

The Frenchman established himself as a first team regular last season, starting 33 Premier League games, but he clearly faces a battle in an attempt to return to the starting 11 with Dawson, Vertonghen and Caulker doing so well at the moment.

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