Latest Football & Transfer News 18-07-2012

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City draw blank as Kompany limps off

Manchester City drew 0-0 against Dynamo Dresden in their second pre-season friendly but there was real concern following the match in Innsbruck after talisman and captain Vincent Kompany limped off clutching his hamstring midway through the second half.




Kompany, who was named Premier League player of last season by sponsors Barclays, got up clutching his hamstring but was able to walk off unassisted and his substitution may just have been a precaution.
The game itself was a dour affair as the Premier League champions failed to find the net against a side that finished ninth in Bundesliga 2 last season. It continues a disappointing start to City's pre-season campaign in Austria after they lost 1-0 to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal at the same venue last week.
City settled well, pinning the German side back for the first quarter of an hour. Yaya Toure found Carlos Tevez who in turn set up Portuguese youngster Marcos Lopes but his shot from just inside the box was well blocked by Sebastian Schuppan. Moments later, a cheeky sidestep saw Tevez create space for a shooting opportunity but his effort flashed wide of a sprawling Benjamin Kirsten.
But it wasn’t going all City’s way and Dynamo carved out chances of their own. David Solga crossed for Filip Trojan who sent his header just wide. Costel Pantilimon then spilled a long shot into Solga’s path but made amends to smother the resultant effort behind for a corner.
And it was Dynamo who ended the half the stronger, Schuppan picking out Solga who headed just wide.
The first half failed to inspire, but the second half created even fewer chances as Roberto Mancini chose to blood some younger players. Off came Sergio Aguero for young triallist Mario Jelavic, Lopes for Vladimir Weiss, Tevez for Luca Scapuzzi and Yaya Toure for Abdul Razak.
Weiss looked the most lively, latching on to a lovely Toure free-kick only to be denied by a superb save. And City’s only other real chance came courtesy of Dynamo’s own defender, as Danijel Subasic almost headed a Weiss cross into his own net.
City’s next game in Austria is against Besiktas in Turkey on Friday.

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Newcastle 'make Douglas bid'

Newcastle are awaiting a response from FC Twente after tabling a bid for Brazil-born defender Douglas.



Press Association Sport understands that the Magpies submitted a formal offer amounting to more than four million Euros on Tuesday night for the 24-year-old and are now waiting to hear back.
However, it is also understood that Twente have placed a higher - if not much higher - valuation on the player, who is being courted by a series of other clubs, thought to include Fulham and West Ham.
The Magpies discussed Douglas with Steve McClaren's club during their aborted bid to snap up striker Luuk de Jong, but were relaxed in their pursuit with the player needing to remain in Holland until late next month to ensure he is eligible to represent his adopted country after being granted residence.
But they have now stepped up their interest once again as they attempt to close in on their major targets for the summer.

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Liverpool owners' website makes Dempsey gaffe

Liverpool's owners suffered embarrassment when a news website they own erroneously reported that they had signed Fulham forward Clint Dempsey.



The website for Massachusetts-based news channel New England Sports Network (NESN), owned by Anfield proprietors Fenway Sports Group, published a story claiming Dempsey was a Liverpool player when he was still very much on Fulham's books.
With a headline which read "Fabio Borini, Liverpool gear up for North American Tour as Clint Dempsey joins club" and a line which claimed that the Reds had "added Fabio Borini and Clint Dempsey to a team that game [sic] within a game of winning the FA Cup", the story prompted excitement among fans of the Merseyside club as they anticipated another summer signing for new manager Brendan Rodgers. The story was a short introduction to a video report on Liverpool training ahead of their pre-season friendly against Roma at Boston's Fenway Park, in which mention was also given to reports linking Dempsey with a move to the club.
However, the report in the video did not make the same claim that the USA international had signed, merely stating that he has been linked with the club.
"We have received no offers from any club for Clint Dempsey," a Fulham spokesperson said. "We would discourage any club from making a bid for him."
The headline and copy have since been edited to remove all mention of Dempsey.
A move for the 29-year-old remains a distinct possibility, but the premature and inaccurate report is nonetheless an embarrassing moment for Liverpool.
Fans of other clubs took to Twitter to poke fun at Liverpool for the mistake.
One Arsenal fan tweeted "So, that's egg on Liverpool's faces," while a Tottenham supporter said "Surely the confusion/conficting [sic] reports about Clint Dempsey from (Fulham) and (Liverpool) indicate and [sic] illegal approach to the player?"

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Proschwitz set to join Hull

Hull are expected to unveil German striker Nick Proschwitz as their third summer signing at a press conference on Thursday.



The Tigers have agreed a reported £2million fee with SC Paderborn for Proschwitz, 25, who has agreed a three-year deal and had his medical at the KC Stadium on Tuesday.
Hull manager Steve Bruce is also hoping to conclude a deal for former West Ham defender Abdoulaye Faye "in the next 24 to 48 hours" after holding talks with the 34-year-old.
The former Senegal international, who has previously played for Bolton, Newcastle and Stoke in the Barclays Premier League, made 29 appearances for the Hammers last season before being released earlier this summer.
Meanwhile, Bruce's son Alex started for Hull in Tuesday night's 5-0 friendly win over Winterton Rangers.
The 27-year-old defender was released by Leeds after being restricted to eight first-team appearances at Elland Road last season.

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£150m man Zlatan is football’s most expensive player

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s reported €23m transfer from AC Milan to Paris Saint Germain means he has now been bought for €191.3m (£150m) worth of transfer fees.



The Swede, 30, was already the most expensive player in the history of football based on the cumulative transfer fees spent on his services, based on calculations made by Sport360, but he has stretched the mark even further with yet another high-profile switch.
PSG becomes Ibrahimovic’s seventh club in his fifth European league, and signing the striker never comes cheap.
His first major move saw him leave Ajax for Juventus for €16m in 2004, before two years later moving to Milan to join Internazionale in a move worth just shy of €25m.
After three successful years Barcelona bought the striker in a complicated exchange deal involving Samuel Eto'o worth well in excess of €60m, only for the Swede not to fit into manager Pep Guardiola’s plans.
He returned to Italy with AC Milan, first on a year’s loan, and then permanently on a €24m deal, before confirming his switch to France yesterday.
Despite his nomadic existence, Ibrahimovic has been successful wherever he goes, winning eight league titles in a row between 2003-4 and 2010-11.
Of the list of 10 players to have racked up career transfer figures in excess of €95m or more, six have had stints in the Premier League.
Perhaps the most surprising name on the list, however, is Robbie Keane. The striker had just a League Cup triumph to his name by the time he left Tottenham for the LA Galaxy earlier this year, but had still been bought for fees totalling €109.2m over the course of his career to put him seventh in the all-time list.
As he moves to Paris, Ibrahimovic’s days of commanding major transfer fees may be drawing to a close, but with nearly a €50m gap over his nearest challenger, Nicolas Anelka, the record may be his for a while yet.

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Berbatov would run to AC Milan: agent

Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is the subject of interest from Serie A giants AC Milan, according to the player's agent.










Berbatov has been told he can leave Old Trafford this summer after four years at the club, with the Bulgarian himself claiming his price has been set at £5 million by United manager Alex Ferguson.
The 31-year-old, currently in South Africa with the rest of the United squad on a pre-season tour, has been linked with several clubs in the Premier League and across Europe, but his agent Emil Dantchev was particularly keen to talk up a move to the San Siro.
“I cannot say much but I do say that Berbatov likes Milan and looks good in red and black,” Dantchev said.
"Dimitar would run to AC Milan, because the club have appreciated him for years.
"They will have to speak with Manchester United and start negotiations."
Milan have a vacancy for a centre-forward following the completion of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to Paris Saint-Germain.

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Futacs leaves Portsmouth for Leicester

Leicester City have signed striker Marko Futacs from Portsmouth.



The 22-year-old Hungarian is the latest player to leave crisis-hit Pompey, who will receive a compensation fee, and has agreed a three-year contract with the Foxes.
Futacs made 30 appearances and scored five times last season after joining Pompey on a free transfer from German side Werder Bremen.
He is Leicester's fourth signing of the summer after Ritchie De Laet, Matty James and Jamie Vardy.
Foxes boss Nigel Pearson told the club's official website: "Marko has only been in English football for a year but has shown all the physical and mental attributes to be successful at this level and we are delighted to have added him to the squad.
"He is another player we faced considerable competition to sign, which only serves to highlight how impressively he performed for Portsmouth last season."