Eurosport - Thu, 05 Jul 18:42:00 2007
This time it is Manchester United who are reportedly closing in on their fourth and final signing of the close season, with that Tevez apparently on the verge of moving to Old Trafford.
United boss Alex Ferguson wants a forward to bolster his squad for next season, and the man at the centre of so much controversy following his move to the Hammers at the beginning of last season seems to fit the bill.
Kia Joorabchian, whose company Media Sports Investment (MSI) brought Tevez to England in the first place, is believed to be in talks with United chief executive David Gill with a one-year loan deal close to being agreed upon.
The swoop would set United back in the region of £8 million, but Ferguson would retain the right to buy Tevez outright at the end of the loan deal. Expect some hard news over the next 48 hours.
Hard fact or huge guff, it does not matter to Hammers' boss Alan Curbishley, who is already lining up a replacement for Tevez at Upton Park, with Craig Bellamy top of his wish list.
The Wales international would appear to be surplus to requirements at Anfield now Fernando Torres has landed on Merseyside and West Ham are lining up an £11 million swoop that would include Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun going the other way.
Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma could yet join Torres at Anfield despite the Reds having already had a £13.5 million bid rejected. Upping the ante by a few quid should do the trick.
Meanwhile, another Liverpool target, Florent Malouda, is in danger of seeing his proposed move to Chelsea becoming Henry-like in its drawn-out long windedness. While an exit from the Stade Gerland for the France international is a dead cert after he left a pre-season training camp in a fit of gloriously French pique earlier this week, a deal with the Blues is yet to be done.
Real Madrid are snooping around along with Liverpool, and Chelsea will have to be quick if they are to bag their man. The good news is that, according to L'Equipe at least, talks between the French champions and Chelsea are set to take place at the end of this week. £17 million is the figure Lyon are looking at for the France international.
The comedy continues at Maine Road where Sven-Goran Eriksson wants ten new players, should he be installed as manager. So, virtually a whole new team will start the season at Eastlands, begging the question, who is the lucky one who gets to keep his place? Bernardo Corradi is TT's hot tip.
Arsenal are not worried by manager Arsene Wenger's hesitation over signing a new contract. Reports suggest that the Frenchman will pen a new deal later on this year, despite the departures both David Dein and Thierry Henry which were thought to have destabilised the club significantly.
And finally, Idan Tal has been given permission to hold talks with Israeli champions Beitar Jerusalem and a move back to his homeland is looking likely after just a year with the Trotters. Manager Sammy Lee is already looking elsewhere for a replacement to bolster his midfield with Real Sociedad's Mikel Alonso invited for a trial at Bolton's pre-season training camp.
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