Following on from last year's thread and using the same basis:



I'll kick things off with this beauty:

Manchester City are set to rival Juventus for the services of Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez for next season. According to Italian newspaper La Stampa, City are apparently willing to offer the Spaniard a huge transfer kitty and long term contract to leave Anfield and replace current City boss Roberto Mancini Eastlands.

That is unbelievable

Liverpool allowed to talk to Jonjo Shelvey - per Five Live

SAF allowed to talk to Al Green

Tevez to Liverpool-BBC gossip

Rodwell to United seems pretty nailed on, but Arsenal's probably going to try to rack up the price.

It's pretty guaranteed for Arsenal, at least, that Eduardo is on the out. I can't predict much else, Wenger may sell craploads, or may just make 2-3 big money signings. No idea.

Liverpool links, just from the last week or two

Shelvey
Tevez
Pienaar
vd Vaart
Gary Cahill
Nicolas Hernan Otamendi (young Argentinian CB)
Royston Drenthe
Wayne Hennessey
Danny Wilson (another young CB, not the band)
Nelson Dida
Georginio Wijnaldum (Feyenoord 'wonderkid')
Some young Swedish striker we've had on trial

Its gonna be a long summer......

Arsenal have a "war chest" of £18m ...................... wooo hoooo!!!!!!!

Every summer Arsenal are out spent by the majority of premiership clubs in the market, but somehow we always finish top four.
Though we should now finish 3rd I am willing to bet in the 'summer transfer spending league' we won't be in the top half.
Let's see who can predict the lowest placed club (this season) that out spends Arsenal.
I will go for Wolves.

Normally would think that is a very safe bet, but not this time. Will be amazed if we are not one of the major spenders, if not then will be very annoyed.
He has probably the most of all prem clubs other than City and maybe Cfc and pretty sure he has a list of targets, how much he spends of that depends on his ability to do the deals. Fairly sure Groomy's £18 mil is way down its a fair bit more.
Expect at least 3 to be brought maybe more.

Wolves foxinthebox2001
Newcastle blahblah
Could be a new thread

Are we going on nett or gross spend (i.e. do we deduct sales)?

How about this gem

You have to deduct sales. If we sell Fabregas we will be way down the league... both leagues!

http://soccerlens.com/summer-2009-engli ... ers/39611/

This is last summers spending break down.
We made a £30 mill profit, United made about £63 mil but that was a one off, they had to finance their debt.

Another Arsenal thread They don't even sign many players...though I suppose they sell a fair few.

Here's my shopping list for United:

Akinfeev/Neuer/Lloris
Smalling (done)
Milner/Rodwell
Mexican no-mark (done)
Benzema - Fergie almost always tries to go back and gets his man.

City will be the ones to watch again. Desperately hoping that Spurs (or Villa) will get 4th and make it another summer of not-quite-the-best signings.

Players almost done deals:

Chamahk
Mexes
Hart

and Gerrard (If Pool don't get in to champions League)

Benzema sux.

I've heard that we are going all Serbian, Murf?

I heard that things are up in the air because of the ownership and management situation, but the players that have been scouted the most, recently are:

Kolarov
Krasic
Jovanovic
Sulejmani

I think Kolarov is a superb left back, and will add a great deal to the squad. Krasic I would've thought will prove to be out of our price range. Jovanovic would merely be a squad player. Sulejmani???? Not sure why we've been looking at him? He was superb the last couple of seasons, but has fallen right out of favour at Ajax and has barely played?



There is also considerable speculation regarding the signing of John Cofie from United.



To add to the ones you mentioned - there have also been links with Arda Turan, Kristoffer Peterson, Elrojo Elia and also Eden Hazard.



As you say, silly season is almost upon us and I'm sure there will be hundreds more linked!!!

Has Joe Cole signed a new Contract at Chelsea?

I wouldn't be surprised to see Kaka make his way to England - maybe Chelsea, Ancelotti knows how to get the best out of him or Man City ?

The £18m was in one of the tabs reported in the Guardian as gossip

Eduardo and Clichy will hopefully go and that could bring in £20m

I'd estimate we have anothr £30m on top of that BUT there wont be anyone earning silly money so there wont be any of the mega stars ............... City and Chelsea can over pay for those

Unless Eduardo & Clichy are on long contracts, I'd be surprised if you get half that for them both & even then I can't see you getting more than 12million. I think transfer fees are set to fall over the next few seasons. Clubs just don't have the funds anymore to spend, spend, spend.

Imo 3.5-5 for Eduardo - wouldn't be surprised to see him offered as a makeweight in any deal for Chamakh. Which in all fairness would be a great move for Eduardo

Clichy is more saleable (4-6 million bracket) & is likely to garner more interest but he's a full back and teams just aren't going to spend 10mill+ on full backs any more - Yes I'm aware that Glen Johnson went for 18million last year but the game has changed vastly since then with only 2 or 3 clubs in the World able to pay that amount now.

Isn't Chamakh going to join on a free?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/8610068.stm

This is an interesting take on summer transfers - what the bookies reckon might happen (this links through to a betting site so might be NSFW depending on company policy)

http://www.skybet.com/skybet?action=GoE ... d=10003041

I'm always surprised betting firms take these bets. They must be open to abuse from In The Knows? Anyway, the main tips from this are:

Gerrard to somewhere
Aguero to Chelsea
Green to Arsenal
Keane to stay with Celtic

All transfers to named clubs are over 2/1 except Aguero to Chelsea (odds on that may have gone up if Abramovich was watching last night - he was largely anonymous)

lmao

Torres to Chelsea ~ £70m. Shame as i would have liked to see him at arsenal and not sure wenger will spend that much...but stranger things have happened. Anyway, its good if he does go cos the yanks will pocket the money and Gerrard will want to leave and we can get him for about £10m hopefully. I think he would do well alongside Fabregas and SOng.

melo and chakmah to arsenal

100% sure on these two