30-12-2009, 09:45 AM
This is from the Mirror so i cant be sure how true it is.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wants
to get his hands on France World Cup keeper
Hugo Lloris - but will have to pay Lyon £20million
for their top shot-stopper.
Ferguson is ready to make a move for the tall 23-
year-old as he looks for Edwin van der Sar's
long-term replacement and he could make a
major splash when the transfer window opens.
Lyon are wealthy and hard to deal with - as
United have found in the past when they courted
Karim Benzema - but Ferguson hopes their
indifferent season may tempt the star keeper to
leave.
Ferguson would ideally like a new keeper next
month, but is also willing to wait until the
summer to land his man.
However van der Sar's
personal problems - with his wife gravely ill -
have added more urgency to the chase.
Lloris has been a stand-out for Lyon and France
this season, helping his country beat the Republic
of Ireland in the controversial play-offs with a
strong and safe couple of displays.
United have been tracking Lloris's progress and
feel he is the best emerging keeper around.
He
could be at the top for a decade or more and
looks to have the bottle for big-game action.
The problem will be the fee, with the Glazers
careful about their spending.
But in Lloris's favour
he has age on his side and a potential sell-on
value down the line.
Ferguson is also a fan of Spartak Moscow's Igor
Akinfeev, who is the same age and just slightly
smaller than Lloris.
He caught the eye when the
clubs met in the Champions League.
The downside on both Lloris and Akinfeev is that
they have both appeared in the elite competition
this season, leaving them ineligible for the knock-
out stages.
United are carefully monitoring van der Sar's
position just now but may have to act swiftly if
the Dutchman is to spend more time with his
stroke victim wife. If he is ruled out they will
make a major splash for his replacement.
10 things you need
to know about
Manchester United
target Hugo Lloris:
1) Hugo Lloris was born on December 26, 1986 in
Nice, France. He was nicknamed Saint Lloris for
his heroics during France's controversial World
Cup play-off victory over Ireland.
2) He started his career at hometown club OGC
Nice, where he made his professional debut in
October 2005, aged just 18, against LB
Châteauroux in the French League Cup. Lloris kept
a clean sheet as Nice won 2-0. He was an ever-
present in the tournament that season, helping
Nice to their first ever final. Sadly the fairy tale
ended there as Nancy saw out a narrow 2-1
victory.
3) He made his league debut in March 2006,
helping Nice to a 1-0 victory over Nancy. Another
four appearances followed that season, and Lloris
took over the number one jersey permanently
from fan favourite Damien Gregorini the following
season.
4) He excelled in his first full season for Nice,
keeping 13 clean sheets in 37 appearances.
5) After being linked with Tottenham, Lloris
eventually turned down a firm offer from AC
Milan to join Lyon in the summer of 2008 for
€ 8.5million.
6) He made an immediate impact at the Stade
Gerland, keeping a clean sheet in his debut against
Toulouse. And despite the season ending with
Lyon missing out on their first league title in
seven years, Lloris was still crowned Ligue 1's
Goalkeeper of the Year.
7) The accolades continued to come in the
2009-10 season. Lloris was named Ligue 1's
Player of the Month for September following four
clean sheets in his first eight games, and placed
third in France Football's 2009 French Player of
the Year award (behind Nicolas Anelka and Yoann
Gourcuff).
8) Crucially for a potential Manchester United
player, he's already got up the noses of Liverpool
fans. Lloris' excellent performances for Lyons in
their 2009-10 Champions League campaign did
much to ensure Benitez' men missed out on
qualifying for the knockout stages,
9) He's represented France at all age groups, and
was an ever-present in France's 2005 European
Under-19 Football Championship winning side.
Lloris made his senior debut against Uruguay on
November 19, 2008 - and kept a clean sheet in a
0-0 draw. He's since won 8 caps - although his
copy book was blotted following the red card he
received during France's 1-1 draw with Serbia.
10) Lloris is considered one of Europe's top young
keepers.
Source: mirror football
It says she had a stroke there, but wasnt it a brain haemorrhage?
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wants
to get his hands on France World Cup keeper
Hugo Lloris - but will have to pay Lyon £20million
for their top shot-stopper.
Ferguson is ready to make a move for the tall 23-
year-old as he looks for Edwin van der Sar's
long-term replacement and he could make a
major splash when the transfer window opens.
Lyon are wealthy and hard to deal with - as
United have found in the past when they courted
Karim Benzema - but Ferguson hopes their
indifferent season may tempt the star keeper to
leave.
Ferguson would ideally like a new keeper next
month, but is also willing to wait until the
summer to land his man.
However van der Sar's
personal problems - with his wife gravely ill -
have added more urgency to the chase.
Lloris has been a stand-out for Lyon and France
this season, helping his country beat the Republic
of Ireland in the controversial play-offs with a
strong and safe couple of displays.
United have been tracking Lloris's progress and
feel he is the best emerging keeper around.
He
could be at the top for a decade or more and
looks to have the bottle for big-game action.
The problem will be the fee, with the Glazers
careful about their spending.
But in Lloris's favour
he has age on his side and a potential sell-on
value down the line.
Ferguson is also a fan of Spartak Moscow's Igor
Akinfeev, who is the same age and just slightly
smaller than Lloris.
He caught the eye when the
clubs met in the Champions League.
The downside on both Lloris and Akinfeev is that
they have both appeared in the elite competition
this season, leaving them ineligible for the knock-
out stages.
United are carefully monitoring van der Sar's
position just now but may have to act swiftly if
the Dutchman is to spend more time with his
stroke victim wife. If he is ruled out they will
make a major splash for his replacement.
10 things you need
to know about
Manchester United
target Hugo Lloris:
1) Hugo Lloris was born on December 26, 1986 in
Nice, France. He was nicknamed Saint Lloris for
his heroics during France's controversial World
Cup play-off victory over Ireland.
2) He started his career at hometown club OGC
Nice, where he made his professional debut in
October 2005, aged just 18, against LB
Châteauroux in the French League Cup. Lloris kept
a clean sheet as Nice won 2-0. He was an ever-
present in the tournament that season, helping
Nice to their first ever final. Sadly the fairy tale
ended there as Nancy saw out a narrow 2-1
victory.
3) He made his league debut in March 2006,
helping Nice to a 1-0 victory over Nancy. Another
four appearances followed that season, and Lloris
took over the number one jersey permanently
from fan favourite Damien Gregorini the following
season.
4) He excelled in his first full season for Nice,
keeping 13 clean sheets in 37 appearances.
5) After being linked with Tottenham, Lloris
eventually turned down a firm offer from AC
Milan to join Lyon in the summer of 2008 for
€ 8.5million.
6) He made an immediate impact at the Stade
Gerland, keeping a clean sheet in his debut against
Toulouse. And despite the season ending with
Lyon missing out on their first league title in
seven years, Lloris was still crowned Ligue 1's
Goalkeeper of the Year.
7) The accolades continued to come in the
2009-10 season. Lloris was named Ligue 1's
Player of the Month for September following four
clean sheets in his first eight games, and placed
third in France Football's 2009 French Player of
the Year award (behind Nicolas Anelka and Yoann
Gourcuff).
8) Crucially for a potential Manchester United
player, he's already got up the noses of Liverpool
fans. Lloris' excellent performances for Lyons in
their 2009-10 Champions League campaign did
much to ensure Benitez' men missed out on
qualifying for the knockout stages,
9) He's represented France at all age groups, and
was an ever-present in France's 2005 European
Under-19 Football Championship winning side.
Lloris made his senior debut against Uruguay on
November 19, 2008 - and kept a clean sheet in a
0-0 draw. He's since won 8 caps - although his
copy book was blotted following the red card he
received during France's 1-1 draw with Serbia.
10) Lloris is considered one of Europe's top young
keepers.
Source: mirror football
It says she had a stroke there, but wasnt it a brain haemorrhage?
