Newcastle Prepare £7m Baptista Bid

fount : goal.com



The Sunday Sun is reporting that Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has targeted Julio Baptista as the ideal man to partner Danny Guthrie in the centre of midfield come the new season. It is being said that Baptista, who has been linked to the Magpies before, is also keen on a move to England - providing that the terms are attractive, and that a deal can be agreed with his club Real Madrid.

Madrid are thought to want something in excess of £12m (€15m) for the Brazilian hitman, whose nickname is "The Beast". Baptista had spent a season on loan at Arsenal, and had performed reasonably well. In that regard, although he may not be considered as a "proven" premiership player, he does seem like a good prospect nonetheless.

However, the merengues' steep asking price may prove to be a hurdle to any deal going through as news from St. James' Park indicates that manager Keegan may not bid any amount over £7m (€8.8m) The club is also said to be in talks with Liverpool for Argentine left-back Emilio Insua, and are also reportedly prepared to move for Deportivo La Coruna defender Fabricio Coloccini with a £6 bid. The club is also keen to wrap up a deal for French centre-back Sebastien Bassong who has impressed on trial since arriving from Metz last week.

These reports are somewhat substantiated by Keegan's recent comments that the club will be signing 2-3 players as early as the next two weeks, and may act as a peace offering to the club's extensive fan base who have grown impatient at the club's lack of transfer activity.

Mehzeb Chowdhury

Spalletti: We Want Silva Or Malouda

fount : goal.com



The Giallorossi have had a hugely disappointing transfer campaign thus far, signing no big name players, and they are working feverishly to find a replacement for Amantino Mancini, who recently left the club for rivals Inter.

Roma have been heavily linked with Silva and Malouda over the past week or so, with both players’ futures at their respective clubs in doubt.

Some sections of the Italian press have claimed in recent days that negotiations are ongoing to sign one of these players, and this appears to have been confirmed by Spalletti.

"They're both great players,” said the Roma coach.

“It's clear that we'll have to see in negotiations who will become more accessible."

At present it appears that Malouda is the more likely player to end up in the Eternal City, as Valencia are said to have put a €22m price tag on Silva that Roma probably can’t match.

Silva’s agent Julio Llorente also claimed yesterday that there had been no contact with Roma with regards to his client, but what is for certain is that the Giallorossi desperately need to sign an offensive player this summer.

Alessio Alexis

Vucinic Is In Great Form - Conti

fount : goal.com



The Giallorossi played their first match of pre-season against the Romanian giants but were clearly short on match fitness, falling to a 3-1 defeat.

Despite a relatively disappointing display, Bruno Conti was pleased with the 90 minutes work.

"Roma held up well,” the 1982 World Cup hero told Roma Channel.

“We showed a little bit of fatigue but it was still a good performance.”

Moreno, Stancu and Neaga put Steaua 3-0 ahead before Mirko Vucinic grabbed a consolation with an absolutely stunning free kick.

“The goal of Vucinic? He is in great form, and he scored his free kick in exemplary fashion,” explained Conti, before then commenting on club captain Francesco Totti’s recovery from injury.

“Totti? The captain is working on his recovery, he was also working before the game."

Totti snapped his anterior cruciate ligament during a match against Livorno at the end of April, and had to undergo surgery. Er Pupone is being tipped to return in time for Roma’s Italian SuperCup clash with Inter at the end of August.

Alessio Alexis

Roma To Bid €8m For Menez

fount : goal.com



The 21-year-old Monaco midfielder is one of the most promising young players in French football, with some pundits comparing his playmaking skills with those of French legend Zinedine Zidane.

Menez has represented France at every age level from Under-15 to Under-21, as well as winning a B team cap, and he is seen as a certainty to make the step up to the full side in the near future.

Roma are well known to be in the market to sign a top quality offensive player, having failed this week to snap up Fiorentina’s Adrian Mutu.

According to reports in Italy, Roma have been in contact with Monaco about signing Menez, and are ready to table an €8m bid for the young star.

A host of other Italian clubs, such as Inter, Milan and Lazio, are also said to be interested in Menez, while Monaco are believed to be demanding a transfer fee that is closer to the €15m, thus making it unlikely that Roma will be successful with their initial offer.

Menez first hit the headlines in 2005, when at the age of 17 he became the youngest-ever player to score a hat-trick in the French championship.

Alessio Alexis