Quote:Yaya Toure's agent claims his client will be playing in England next season, with a deal already agreed.

The Barcelona midfielder's representative has refused to state with which club an agreement has been struck, but the Ivorian has been strongly linked with Manchester City of late.

The Blues, who already boast Toure's brother Kolo on their books, are believed to be leading the race for his signature, keen to add some much-needed steel in the centre of the park.

The Barca ace has, however, attracted interest from Manchester United and Arsenal in the past, so it is far from certain that he will be turning out at Eastlands next season.

"If everything goes well, Yaya will go to England," Toure's agent, Dimitri Seluk, told Ona FM.

"But we can't talk about definite clubs. We already have a closed deal, and all will be resolved before the World Cup."

Toure joined Barca from Monaco in 2007 and quickly became an integral part of their side, patrolling the area in front of the back four.

Price tag

He has landed six major trophies during his time at Camp Nou, but has fallen down the pecking order over recent seasons.

Some reports have suggested that he could be used as a makeweight in Barca's protracted efforts to lure Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas back to Catalunya.

That may provide his best route out of the Primera Liga giants, as an asking price of around €36million (£30m) could scare off some potential suitors.

Seluk added: "It seems to me too much money. His club have shown they want him to leave, it's not normal that they're asking for this amount.

"If (Barca president Joan Laporta) likes Toure so much, he could have explained why he didn't play so much.

"This year we haven't spoken to him even one time, and if he leaves it's because that was lacking."

(03-06-2010, 11:49 AM)RambleOnRed Wrote: Where did everyone go!? No posts on the forum for almost 24 hours.

Update from the rumor mill - Arsenal are said to be in with a good chance of signing Joe Cole, Rafa the waiter is all set to leave, the Real boardroom want to make a 94 million pound move for Roo and Jose says don't do it!

Avram Grant confirmed as the new Hammers boss. Martin O'Neil has been linked to the Anfield job should the waiter quit.

Quote:Zoran Tosic has admitted he would jump at the chance to join FC Cologne on a permanent basis this summer.

However, any deal looks unlikely for the time being with the Bundesliga side stalling over Manchester United's asking price, which is believed to be in the region of £5million.

The Serbia international, who is currently on World Cup duty, joined Cologne on loan from the Red Devils in January, scoring five goals in seven league games and helping the club steer clear of the relegation zone.

Having managed just 78 minutes of playing time in his 18 months at Old Trafford, Tosic is keen to find regular first-team football elsewhere with other clubs thought to be monitoring his situation after catching the eye in Germany.

"I am caught between two stools right now," he told Express newspaper.

"I have nothing left to do other than to remain patient. My agents have told me that FC Cologne would not have enough money to buy me out of my Manchester United contract.

"Honestly I would like to play on at Cologne. My family enjoys the city, this is a great deal. But even if the clubs would come to an agreement, the club would need to fulfil my demands as well.

"I am unaware how they would be able to pay me if they cannot pay Manchester United. I would want to remain at FC Cologne but it is a fact I need to get confronted with other options if you can get more money elsewhere.

"I will need to have my future sorted out. The faster the better, I would like to have it done before the World Cup."

Quote:Mahamadou Diarra will delay a decision regarding his future at Real Madrid until he has spoken to new coach Jose Mourinho.

The Mali midfielder has been linked with a summer move to Manchester United and recently admitted he was flattered to be a reported target of the Premier League club.

Diarra struggled to nail down a first-team place at Real last season under Manuel Pellegriniand has been tipped to leave the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, the former Lyon ace's agent Frederic Guerra says Diarra will not make a decision on his future until he has met with Mourinho.
Guerra said in the Sunday Mirror: "Diarra will sit down and listen to whether the new manager has any plans for him before making a decision.

"We have interest from England and France, so if he is not going to get games at Real he will leave."

Mourinho names No.2

Meanwhile, Real have confirmed Mourinho has appointed Aitor Karanka as his second in command at the Bernabeu.

Karanka joins a coaching team consisting of Rui Faria, Silvino Louro and Jose Morais and, like the trio, has also signed a four-year contract with the Spanish giants.

It is thought his appointment came about because Mourinho wanted someone who - like Giuseppe Baresi at Inter Milan - knew the club well.

Karanka spent five years at Madrid, between 1997 and 2002, helping them to three Champions League trophies and one league title.

The 36-year-old was serving as Spain Under-16 coach, while he was also assistant to Gines Melendez with the Under-17s who have just returned as runners-up from the European Championship.

Quote:David Silva has admitted there is interest in him from England, but insists at the moment his thoughts are only with Spain.

The Valencia winger is in high demand with Manchester City believed to be leading the chase ahead of rivals Manchester United and Chelsea.
Valencia sold David Villa to Barcelonaearlier this summer, leaving Silva as their prized asset, but he could also be allowed to leave as the club remain in a precarious financial position.

Weekend reports suggested City were ready to step up their interest, but Silva refused to comment on any specific interest.

"My future right now is with the international team and I do not think beyond that," he told Superdeporte.

"I am devoting myself to training ahead of the World Cup - that is the most important thing, nothing else."

Silva did admit that Valencia would decide his future.

"The club is in a difficult situation but we did well to get into the Champions League, which was important.

"I have a contract signed up to 2013 and I do not have any problems with the club, I have heard about the interest from the Premier League - but any questions will be answered by my agent and the club."

Quote:Sir Alex Ferguson has reiterated that there will not be too many changes to his team over the summer, insisting his squad is good enough to challenge for major trophies.

The Manchester United boss spent only a fraction of the £80million gained from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid last summer, with Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez his only cash arrivals since the Portuguese winger's departure.

Chairman David Gill has stated the funds raised from Ronaldo's sale are still available despite debts to the tune of a reported £520million under current owners the Glazer family, who point out that their assets at the club are worth £2billion.

Ferguson however refused to be drawn on his transfer activity, stating that he will look at what he has already before making any further moves.

"I think we've worked hard over the years at bringing in young players and developing them very well. We'll have to assess all that and maybe do one or two things," he told the club's official magazine.

Difficult

"In the market today it's very difficult and the structure of our squad is good in terms of ages, the balance, the numbers and there's a lot of good young players.

"Sometimes you have to trust in all the development...and I'm going to stick with that - or most of it.

"Next season we'll go again and bring back the title to the best place in the world. We'll come back next year, that's exactly what Manchester United do."

Despite a possible lack of funds, the 68-year-old insisted that his team had the quality to regain the title after losing their three-year grip on the Premier League to Chelsea last season.

Ferguson admitted that the whole title race turned on certain moments, including the build-up to Chelsea's winning goal against his side in November when Darren Fletcher was penalised for a foul on Ashley Cole, although he appeared to win the ball.

But the Scot moved quickly to praise Chelsea, stating that their achievement can not be taken away from them.

"Perhaps crucially the decision down at Stamford Bridge was a bad one against us," he said.

"That has maybe swung the whole title around, if you think about it. There are many things you could talk about. But you can't agonise over these things.

Chelsea praise
"I used to do it but...if you look at all these twists and turns, you can torture yourself. Sometimes you get the breaks, sometimes you don't. It happens.

"We applaud Chelsea. We know how hard it is to win the title - it's the hardest league in the world and we've won it for the last three years.

"I congratulate Carlo Ancelotti on a wonderful achievement. He's a good manager and a good guy."

Despite his title disappointment, Ferguson put United's exit to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League as the worst moment of the season, where they were eliminated by Arjen Robben's volley to tie the game at 4-4 and put Bayern through on away goals.

He added: "I look at the European Cup as our biggest disappointment. We should have been in the final.

"We were the better team and were fantastic here (at Old Trafford), we just didn't have the luck on the night and that's what can happen in football. You need a bit of luck."