By Jacen
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Well, so far this summer, transfer news has been... a bit lackluster. However, in the last week or so, there have been some noteworthy moves that deserve a mention.
We'll begin by focusing on a single club, and all of the players who are supposedly leaving it and heading toward it. And that club is CF Barçelona.
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| Sanchez with Udinese |
Alexis Sanchez, currently a striker and key player for Italian side Udinese has officially been signed by Barça for a reported 27 million Euros plus variables, and an official announcement is expected in the next few days. The Chilean international, who recently finished international duty with the rest of his nation after elimination in the quarter finals in the Copa America, is expected to make the trek to Camp Nou for pre-season training within the next few days. While the 22 year old's skills had also reportedly caught the attention of Man United and Man City, as well as Barça rivals Real Madrid, it appears that Sanchez will be playing for the
blaugrana come the new season. The Sanchez move also comes in the wake of continuing negotiations between Bojan Krkic and AS Roma, and as the days tick by, we await the official statement that the 20 year old Krkic is heading to Italy from Barçelona. The Hunt for Cesc Fabregas continues. Or rather, Barçelona's hunt for Fabregas continues. It seems everyone in Europe, with the exception of the staff at Arsenal, want Fabregas back in Spain. Several players, including Barça co-captain
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| Xavi and Fabregas... destined to be Team Mates? |
Xavi Hernandez and Cesc himself have been letting everyone within earshot know: Cesc Wants to Be at Barça!! And it seems that at last, The Gunners might be relenting. Pep Guardiola has himself said that negotiations are underway, and things are looking very hopeful. We will have to wait and see just how much longer Cesc will be forced to "suffer" his time at Arsenal. And at last, we come to Neymar.
The Brazilian faux-hawk sporting striker has been linked with numerous clubs in Europe over the past several months, yet he has finally put his foot down and said that he will not be leaving Santos, his boyhood club, anytime soon.
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| Carlos Tevez celebrating a goal for Man CIty |
In other European news, longtime Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has recently played down rumors that Dutch international Wesley Sneijder will be joining the Red Devils for the new B.P.L. Season. While the deal had looked to be finalized, with Inter even naming their price, Fergie released a blunt statement Monday where he literally said: "Forget it." Over on the blue side of Manchester, the deal to trade Carlos Tevez from English giants Man City to Brazilian legends Corinthians has officially fallen through. The deal, reported to be worth 40 million Euros, was said to be reached on Monday, yet nothing else failed to materialize before the Brazilian Transfer window closed. While Man City manager Roberto Mancici has stated he expects to reach a deal for Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero sometime this week, it appears that Tevez, now 27, is going to remain at Man City for the upcoming Barclay's Premier League Season. The hole that is expected to be left at Atletico from Aguero's departure will not be there for long. Tuesday brought the singing of young striker Adrian Lopez from Segunda Division club Deportivo La Coruna, who were relegated last season. Meanwhile, over in Germany, Fußball-Bundesliga club Borussia
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| Will Jozy Altidore finally find a home at Alkmaar? |
Moenchengladbach has signed Japanese forawrd Yuki Otsu from J-League side Kashiwa Reysolvon. American midfielder Michael Bradley, who is currently signed with the German club, has been recently linked to a number of clubs in the Italian Serie A, including Bologna and Roma. While Bradley's Italian agent Paola Alberto Faccini has stated that "For now, he [Michael] is a Borussia player" a move for the 23 year old American looks like it could be on the horizon. Another American whose future is looking much more certain is 21 year old Jozy Altidore. The striker, who has played for 4 clubs over the last 3 years, has signed a 4 year contract with AZ Alkmaar, in the Dutch Eredivisie. Initial rumors about the move came when Altidore posted a message on his twitter account about the difficulty he would experience in learning dutch.
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images courtesy of goal.com
Jacen Curathers is a writer, co-editor and co-founder of the Captain's Armblog. He enjoys reading, drinking himself into a stupor, and playing as a fake, unrealistically talented version of himself of FIFA 11. He invites readers to email him anytime at thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com.
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