Juventus are thought to be willing to swap midfield playmaker Diego for Bayern’s Franck Ribery, according to reports from El Mundo Deportivo.

Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been linked with Ribery, as many believe Real Madrid sent Arjen Robben to Bayern with the intent of taking Ribery in exchange during the next available transfer window.

However, Juventus have jumped into the bidding and could well entice Bayern into the deal by exchanging Diego, who has yet to settle into Italian football. Juventus seem unwilling to give him time, and seem keen on replacing him this summer.

Juventus have long been admirers of the 26 year old French international, dating back to when Claudio Ranieri was at the helm. The Tinkerman apparently would have preferred Ribery over the Brazilian.

Bayern are already preparing for life after Ribery, after he has repeatedly made clear that he wants to leave the German outfit. Bayern’s interest in Diego is apparent, and it would appear that he the ideal replacement when Ribery inevitably leaves.

Rossi is set to leave Spain and return to Italy

Giuseppe Rossi’s future at Villarreal is serious doubt, and the Italian international is reported to be looking for a return back to the penninusla, according to his agent Frederico Pastorello.

After a difficult season in La Liga, Villarreal are unlikely to find themselves in European competition next term, which will force many players out of the club, including Rossi.

According to the agent, Rossi’s future lies with two Italian clubs: Napoli and Juventus, both of whom showed great interest in the starlet in the January transfer window.

The American born Italian forward has repeatedly told press of his desire to return home, and now this seems inevitable. His desire to impress Italian Coach Marcello Lippi is also a factor, as he feels he cannot garnish enough attention while playing in Spain.

Juventus are the more likely candidate, but will have to offload several players to make the deal work, although Pastorello claims Rossi would love to join Napoli.

Rossi did not play in the friendly against Cameroon due to the recent death of his father.

Barcelona player Yaya Toure rules out a move to Premier League

Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure has ruled out a move to the Premier League – even though he claims Manchester City and Arsenal want to sign him.

Toure, younger brother of City captain Kolo, said: “I have heard about interest from Manchester City and Arsenal but my future is at Barcelona.

“I have spoken to the directors at the club, I don’t want to leave and my only mission and is to stay and be a success at the club.”

source: Mirror Football

32-year-old Real Madrid striker is linked with Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls

Real Madrid legend Raul has been linked with a move to the USA to join New York Red Bulls at the end of the season.

The 32-year-old Spain forward has fallen down the pecking order in recent months and has admitted that he may have to consider leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, despite being under contract until the summer of 2011.

Following reports in the Spanish media of interest from Major League Soccer, Raul’s agent, Gines Carvajal, commented: “Some clubs have asked about Raul, but that is a question that depends exclusively on the player and he is very happy in Madrid.”

read more: The Independent

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic is set to join Real Madrid in the summer

Real Madrid believe they have won the race to sign Nemanja Vidic and that he will follow his close friend Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu at the end of the season.

AC Milan looked to be edging towards a deal for the unsettled Manchester United defender after leading a chase that also involved their city rivals Inter and Spanish champions Barcelona.

But Sportsmail understands he is bound for Madrid in a £20million transfer that will end an increasingly uneasy relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson.

Read more: Daily Mail  

Sergio Aguero, son-in-law of Argentine legend Diego Maradona says his days at Athletico Madrid can be over.

Chelsea and Manchester United target Sergio Aguero admits his days at Atletico Madrid could be numbered.

Chelsea were plotting a £40million bid for the Argentina striker last month but no move materialised.

United boss Alex Ferguson is interested in Aguero – son-in-law of Argentine legend Diego Maradona – but has yet to make a firm bid as Atletico continue to play hardball over the fee.

The Premier League title rivals are set to step up their interest after this summer’s World Cup.

But playmaker Aguero, 21, revealed, although he loves Atletico, he cannot rule out leaving the club.

He said: “I have enormous affection for Atletico but you cannot say I’ll be here for ever.

“At the moment, I’m happy here and love the fans. I hope I can do well for them on the pitch.”

Aguero has long been tipped for stardom and he says the chance to overtake fellow countryman Lionel Messi as the best player on the planet is big motivation going into the World Cup.

He added: “Any player would like to be told he’s the best in the world but I still have things to learn.

“It’ll be my first World Cup and, God willing, I’ll help Argentina reach the final. It’s important to have a dream.”

source: The Sun 

Dani Alves is a summer transfer target for Chelsea

Chelsea’s first summer transfer target is Barcelona’s £30m defender Dani Alves.

Boss Carlo Ancelotti wants a new right-back and the Brazilian fits the bill. But he will face competition from Manchester City for his signature.

Chelsea will be free to enter the transfer market this summer now that their FIFA transfer ban has been overturned.

The Italian boss has been using Branislav Ivanovic at right-back this season, but the Serbian is naturally a central defender.

read more: Daily star

Transfer List for LA LIGA season 2009/2010 – WINTER SIGNINGS.

Almeria

In:

Out:

Athletic Bilbao

In:

Out: Xabier Etxeita (loan, FC Cartagena)

Atletico Madrid

In: Eduardo Salvio (8m, Lanus), Tiago Mendes (loan, Juventus)

Out: Maxi Rodriguez (1.5m, Liverpool), Cleber Santana (free, Sao Paulo), Roberto Batres (loan, Shanghai Shenhua), Roberto Jimenez (loan, Real Zaragoza), Keko Gontan (loan, Valladolid)

Barcelona

In: Keirrison (loan return, Benfica)

Out: Keirrison (loan, Fiorentina)

Deportivo La Coruna

In:

Espanyol

In: Pablo Daniel Osvaldo (loan, Bologna), Oscar Sielva (loan return, FC Cartagena)

Out: Milan Smiljanic (loan, Sporting Gijon)

Getafe

In: Miku (free, Valencia), Borja Fernandez (free, Valladolid)

Out: Franck Signorino (loan, FC Cartagena), Cosmin Contra (free, FC Timisoara)

Malaga

In: Felipe Caicedo (loan, Manchester City)

Out: Edinho (loan, PAOK Salonika), Ivan Cuadarado (free, Rayo Vallecano)

Mallorca

In: Oscar Diaz (loan, Recreativo Huelva), Javi Castellano (loan return, Albacete)

Out:

Osasuna

In:

Out:

Racing Santander

In: Brian Sarmiento (loan return, Girona FC)

Out: Laszlo Sepsi (loan return, Benfica), Alexandre Geijo (loan, Udinese)

Real Madrid

In:

Out: Ruud van Nistelrooy (free, Hamburg SV)

Real Zaragoza

In: Adrian Colunga (loan, Recreativo Huelva), Jiri Jarosik (free, FC Krylia Sovetov), Humberto Suazo (loan, Monterrey), Eliseu Pereira (loan, Lazio), Roberto Jimenez (loan, Atletico Madrid), Matteo Contini (loan, Napoli), Edmilson (free, Palmeiras)

Out: Braulio Nobrega (loan, Recreativo Huelva), Franck Songo’o (loan, Real Sociedad), Javier Lopez Vallejo (free, Levadiakos)

Sevilla

In: Marius Stankevicius (loan, Sampdoria)

Out: Arouna Kone (loan, Hannover 96)

Sporting Gijon

In: Milan Smiljanic (loan, Espanyol)

Out: Michel (3.3m, Birmingham City), Andreu Guerao (free, Polonia Warsaw)

Tenerife

In:

Out:

Valencia

In:

Out: Miku (free, Getafe), Asier del Horno (loan, Valladolid)

Valladolid

In: Keko Gontan (loan, Atletico Madrid), Asier del Horno (loan, Valencia), Henrique Sereno (free, Vitoria Guimaraes)

Out: Asier Arranz (free, Numancia), Borja Fernandez (free, Getafe)

Villareal

In:

Out: Jonathan Pereira (free, Real Betis), Fabricio Fuentes (loan, F.C. Atlas), Sebastian Eguren (loan, Lazio)

Xerez

In: Gustavo Alustiza (loan, Chacarita Juniors), Nicolas Vigneri (loan, Puebla F.C.)

Out: Giancarlo Maldonado (loan return, Atlante)

source: Soccerlens 

Transfer List for LA LIGA season 2009/2010 – SUMMER SIGNINGS.

Almeria

Midfielder Alex Quillo from Atletico Madrid; Swedish forward Henok Goitom from Murcia; Colombian midfielder Fabian Vargas from Boca Juniors.

Athletic Bilbao

Defender Mikel San Jose on loan from Liverpool; Defender Xabi Castillo from Real Sociedad; Forward De Marcos from Alaves; Forward Inigo Diaz de Cerio from Real Sociedad.

Atletico Madrid

Goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo from Valladolid for a fee of €5m; Defender Juanito on a free transfer from Betis; Uruguayan defender Leandro Cabrera from Defensor Sporting for a fee of €1.5m.

Barcelona

Ukrainian defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee of €25m; Brazilian forward Keirrison from Palmeiras for a fee of €14m; Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan for a fee of €46m; Brazilian defender Maxwell from Inter Milan for a fee of €4.5m.

Deportivo La Coruna

Colombian defender Brayam Angulo on loan from Leixoes; Brazilian midfielder Roberto Juca from Partizan Belgrade.

Espanyol

Argentinean defender Juan Daniel Forlin from Boca Juniors; Argentinean defender Facundo Roncaglia on loan from Boca Juniors; Argentinean defender Ivan Pillud on loan from Tiro Federal; Israeli forward Ben Sahar from Chelsea for a fee of €1m; Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura on a free transfer from Celtic Glasgow; Midfielder Verdu on a free transfer from Deportivo La Coruna.

Getafe

Defender Miguel Torres from Real Madrid for a fee of €2m; Midfielder Pedro Leon from Valladolid; Ghanaian midfielder Derek Boateng from Koln; Midfielder Dani Parejo from Real Madrid; Goalkeeper Jordi Codina from Real Madrid; Forward Pedro Rios from Xerez; Midfielder Juanma Ortiz from Almeria.

Sporting Gijon

Midfielder Portilla from Racing Santander; French defender Gregory Arnolin from Guimaraes; Midfielder Miguel de las Cuevas from Atletico Madrid; Goalkeeper Juan Pablo from Numancia; Midfielder Rivera from Betis.

Malaga

Goalkeeper Santamaria on loan from Las Palmas; Tunisian midfielder Selim Benachour from Al Qadisiya Kuwait; Defender Juanito from Almeria; Forward Albert Luque on a free transfer from Ajax Amsterdam; Portuguese forward Edinho from AEK Athens; Midfielder Jordi Pablo on loan from Villarreal; Serbian defender Milan Stepanov from Porto; Italian forward Fernando Forestieri on loan from Genoa; Defender Omar from Gijon; Midfielder Valdo on loan from Espanyol; Danish defender Patrick Mtiliga from Breda; Uruguayan goalkeeper Gustavo Munua from Deportivo La Coruna.

Mallorca

Midfielder Borja Valero on loan from West Brom; Forward Julio Alvarez from Almeria; Uruguayan midfielder Paulo Pezzolano on loan from Liverpool Montevideo; Brazilian defender Mattioni on loan from Gremio; Defender Ruben from Celta.

Osasuna

Midfielder Javier Camunas from Recreativo Huelva; Forward Aranda from Numancia; Midfielder Javier Calleja on a free transfer from Malaga.

Racing Santander

Brazilian defender Henrique Adriano Buss on loan from Barcelona; Forward Xisco on loan from Newcastle United; Midfielder Luis Garcia from Atletico Madrid; Senegalese midfielder Papakouly Diop from Gimnastic Tarragona; Defender Torrejon from Espanyol; South African defender Nasief Morris on loan from Panathinaikos; Defender Crespo from Sevilla; Midfielder Arana from Castellon.

Real Madrid

Midfielder Xabi Alonso from Liverpool for a fee of €35m; Defender Alvaro Arbeloa from Liverpool for a fee of €4m; Midfielder Esteban Granero from Getafe for a fee of €4m; French forward Karim Benzema from Lyon for a fee of €35m; Defender Raul Albiol from Valencia for a fee of €15m; Portuguese midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for a fee of €94m; Brazilian midfielder Kaka from Milan for a fee of €86m.

Sevilla

Forward Alvaro Negredo from Real Madrid for a fee of €15m; Defender Sergio Sanchez from Espanyol; Ivory Coast midfielder Didier Zokora from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €9m.

Tenerife

Midfielder Alfaro on loan from Sevilla; Brazilian forward Dinei on loan from Atletico Paranaense.
Valencia
Goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya from Mallorca for a fee of €5m; Defender Bruno on a free transfer from Almeria; French defender Jeremy Mathieu on a free transfer from Toulouse; Defender Angel Dealbert from Castellon.

Valladolid

Midfielder Sisi from Recreativo Huelva; Defender Cesar Arzo from Recreativo Huelva; Midfielder Marquitos from Villarreal; Angolan forward Manucho from Manchester United; Forward Bueno from Real Madrid for a fee of €3m; Goalkeeper Fabricio from Deportivo La Coruna; Brazilian forward Diego Costa on loan from Atletico Madrid; Midfielder Hector Font from Osasuna; Midfielder Nauzet Aleman from Las Palmas; Defender Antonio Barragan on a free transfer from Deportivo La Coruna.

Villarreal

Brazilian forward Nilmar from Internacional; Defender Marcano from Racing Santander for a fee of €6m; Goalkeeper Xavi Oliva from Castellon; Brazilian midfielder Bruno Renan from Gremio; Brazilian midfielder Tiago Dutra from Gremio; Ecuadorian midfielder Jefferson Montero from Independiente.

Xerez

Italian forward Fabian Orellana on loan from Udinese; Malian midfielder Sidi Yaya Keita on loan from Lens; Portuguese midfielder Alex Bergantinos from Deportivo La Coruna; Defender Casado on loan from Sevilla; Venezuelan forward Giancarlo Maldonado from Atlante.Zaragoza
Serbian defender Ivan Obradovic from Partizan Belgrade; Croatian midfielder Marko Babic from Hertha Berlin; Defender Pablo Amo from Deportivo La Coruna; Colombian midfielder Abel Aguilar on loan from Udinese; Nigerian forward Ikechukwu Uche from Getafe for a fee of €5m; Jamaican midfielder Jermaine Pennant from Liverpool; Argentinean goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo from Lazio.

France winger Franck Ribery is expected to leave Germany at end of season

Franck Ribéry has added weight to the belief that he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season by claiming the German club are not good enough to compete with Europe’s biggest teams.

“Bayern is still a big club. It’s one of the biggest in the world but I find that our team is not as strong as other teams, like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea,” said the France winger, who has been heavily linked with a move to either England or Spain. “Maybe we will have trouble competing against these teams.

“I want to win trophies and to enjoy myself. I’m not 20 any more. I am closer to the end [of my career] than the beginning.”

Speaking to RTL radio, the 26-year-old also admitted that he could be tempted to join up with France team-mate Thierry Henry at Barcelona.

“I get on really well with him and I know he would also like to see me there,” Ribéry said. “I know a lot of people would like to see me stay [at Bayern]. Whether I stay or go it won’t be an easy decision.”

source: The Guardian