Arsenal Bid For Manchester United Target

I'm not sure whether I refer to Douglas Costa as a Manchester United target, or a former Manchester United target, but either way, he is definitely a target of United's Premier League rivals Arsenal, after the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger saw a bid for the Brazilian midfielder rejected by Shakhtar Donetsk.

Douglas Costa was thought to be seen at Old Trafford at a game of United against Bolton back in March, but this has since been proven practically impossible, as the player was due to play back in Ukraine for Shakhtar the next day. However, you may be seeing the player at the Emirates next season quite regularly if Arsenal are to up their bid for the 20 year-old attacking midfielder.

The Brazilian's agent confirmed yesterday that Arsenal placed a bid for Douglas, but it was rejected by Shakhtar on the grounds that they wanted money rather than a swap deal involving Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder Denilson. The players agent, Cesar Bottega said:

"The Gunners have offered the club Denilson in exchange for Douglas but Shakhtar said no. They are not interested in Denilson and would want only money."

Douglas was a regular at the Ukrainian club last season, playing 42 games in total, and scoring 7 goals. Manchester Untied tracked the player since his time at the Brazilian side Gremio and apparently bid for him, but Gremio instead opted for a sale to Shakhtar, who have also been reluctant to sell to United for a few million pounds, so a Denilson offer was hardly going to sway their stance.

This news comes after Arsenal's reported interest in another of Shakhtar's players, Willian, who TalkSport claimed Arsenal had  "made an approach for".  In this apparent interest in Willian, Arsenal attempted to throw Denilson (again) into a possible deal, with a few million cash. Arsenal are reportedly awaiting a reply, but require one soon, preferably before the week-end, reports say.

Manchester United will have been made aware of Arsenal's interest in their former/current transfer target, Douglas Costa but United currently have larger fish to fry, with two or three separate battles occurring between some of the top teams in the world for all of Luka Modric, Wesley Sneijder and Alexis Sanchez. 

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Alexis Sanchez "Worth As Much As Messi"

Dear, oh dear. Inflation. It really is funny sometimes, isn't it? Sometimes people get excited - over excited, and then bawl out ridiculous figures for clubs to ponder in the process of bidding for a player, and whoever was bidding for Udinese's Alexis Sanchez will have had a nasty shock recently.

The Udinese Preseident, Gino Pozzo has gone all ridiculous, and stated that his player Alexis Sanchez is worth way more than the £30 million that has been offered for him, but the Chilean winger is worth as much as the best player in the world, Lionel Messi. He said:

"To me, Sanchez is worth as much as [Lionel] Messi. That's just my personal opinion, though."

"It is very hard to find any other players of his level. We have received an offer of €35m for him, but we rejected it. I think that he is worth more than that."

It prompts the question; how much is Lionel Messi worth? Well, at today's standards, with Ronaldo going to Madrid for £80 million, you would think at least that price, probably more. Barcelona of course would not consider selling him for anything less.

Now to the question of if Sanchez is as good or as effective as Lionel Messi. Most of you who watch football would immediately say 'no way', which is supported well by the figures. Sanchez has scored 12 goals this season in the Italian Serie A, whilst assisting 6. Messi meanwhile, has been very busy in the La Liga, scoring a massive 31 and assisting 18, having played only 2 games more than Sanchez.

Manchester United and their local rivals City have both shown an interest in the 22 year-old Udinese winger, but United will most certainly be put off by the astronomical figures quoted. Sir Alex Ferguson most certainly has at least £30 million to spend, but with a new goalkeeper and central midfielder Manchester United's prority, he will be in no hurry to spend over £30 million on a winger.

Nani, Valencia and Park occupy those positions well enough, whilst the twins Fabio and Rafael could easily play further up field if back up is needed. City on the other hand will spend as much as their heart desires, and with a bottomless pit of money occupying their eyes, their hearts will be pumping fast at the prospect of big money signings, even if they aren't needed.

Conclusion? Sanchez isn't worth as much as Messi, the Udinese President thinks he is, a club would have to put in a bid of at least £35 million to even be in with a chance of agreeing a deal, Manchester United won't spend that much and City will do what they like. So, if Sanchez goes anywhere in England, it could only by City, unfortunately.

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Confirmed £30 million Bid for Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez is proving hot property, with clubs from England, Italy and Spain all seemingly interested in acquiring his compellingly attractive services. Being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't do your on the field reputation any harm it must be said, and it is therefore perhaps no surprise that Manchester United have been very strongly linked, as the £80 million from the Ronaldo sale still lingers pleasingly in the bank awaiting usage.

Now his club Udinese have confirmed that a 35 million euro bid has been placed for their star attacker, but frustratingly, they refused to identify the club who placed the substantial bid. 35 million euros is equal to £29.7 million. And because Udinese have not named the bidders, it opens the door to speculation as to who it was.

Udinese's chairman Franco Soldati said:

"Sanchez is of interest of British and Italian teams.

"Somebody has already offered (for Alexis Sanchez) a figure close to 30-35 million euros but I cannot say by whom (we have received it)".

What a tease!
He justified the large asking price by citing recent Premier League signings including Liverpool's signing of Luiz Suarez, and Chelsea's double splurge of cash on Fernando Torres and David Luiz - a combined total of around £90 million. Doldati continued:

"A evaluation of €25 million for Sanchez? Looking at what has been paid for (Luis) Suarez, (Fernando) Torres and David Luiz in England, I think Sanchez will also apply to more than €25 million,"

"But right now we don't want to look at the market. Each assessment will be made at the end of the season."

The 23 year old Chilean international, who has scored 11 goals in 23 games this season for Udinese has done what most footballers do when they are linked to bigger, better clubs - repeat the question and avoid answering it. In other words, he doesn't want to commit himself to his current club, just in case the speculation, or in this case solid bid, turns into a possible transfer:

"My future? For now I want to play football, this is my only desire."

"At the end of the season we'll see what happens. Udinese? We are playing very well, the coach motivates us every game as if it were a final. "

Manchester United, Chelsea, City, Inter and Real Madrid have been linked. We'll see where he goes - it'll be interesting. More news here whenever it comes.

Hamburg Confirm Bid has Been Made for Eljero Elia

Eljero Elia, the Dutch winger playing in the Bundesliga with Hamburg, has been the subject of a solid bid, after several clubs had been reportedly monitoring him over the past few seasons. Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have all been said to be watching the 23 year-old, but it is Wigan Athletic who have been the confirmed bidders.

Hamburg's sporting director Bernhard Reinhardt said:

"We cannot deny there is interest, but there is only one specific offer which came from Wigan to take him on loan for six months. But [we] will not rush to agree to such things. Apart from that, there have been no offers."

Elia is a very pacey winger or striker, and in 2009, he won the prestigious Johan Cruijff Award for "Young Player of the Year" in the Netherlands, and the player not only has skill in abundance, but confidence in that skill too, so much so, he has very real aspirations to play with three of the biggest clubs in the world:

"I have learned a lot in the Bundesliga. I am very grateful to the HSA. HSV is also a top team. But I would love to play for one of the special clubs such as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona or Manchester United."

"I played with the Dutch national team at the World Cup and showed what level I can perform at, I passed that test."

Elia has several possibilities to choose from, all really depending on where he thinks his long term future realistically lies. A move to Wigan could potentially be a good move, as he would find first team Premier League games, as well as valuable English football experience.
If he is dreaming of a Manchester United move in the future, there is no better way of getting noticed than playing against them and proving his worth at the highest level with Wigan. However, with Manchester United seemingly having their position covered in Nani, (the injured) Valencia and Ji Sung Park, as well as being strongly linked to a move for Alexis Sanchez, Elia wouldn't be top of United's transfer target list.

Alternatively, Liverpool. The clubs position is quite unstable at the moment, and for a player with a history of attitude problems, a transfer to Anfield may not be his best option.

Time will tell whether this obvious young talent will choose to move to England and possibly fulfil a dream, or stay in Germany with Hamburg, unable to fulfill his big ambitions.

What Would Alexis Sanchez Bring to Manchester United?

Alexis Sanchez has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, either in January or the summer, so there must be something special about the 21 year-old which has reportedly caught Sir Alex Ferguson's eye.

After watching him in action, it is clear to see that he is a tricky player on the wing. He has plenty of flicks and tricks up his sleeve, and at times can embarrass the opposing defenders. His explosive pace is also an element of his game which stands him out from the crowd, and with his small, 5 foot 6 frame, he is able to combine both his trickery and pace to run defenders ragged.

Players who have frightening pace and can also deliver an accurate cross are somewhat hard to come by nowadays. Walcott and Lennon are England's finest culprits at times, and I'm sure there are plenty more like them, but Sanchez has the raw ability to do both. His versatility is impressive, as he can work effectively on both wings as well as up front on his own - although his goalscoring has been called into question due to only 9 goals in 77 appearances for current club Udinese.

With Nani and Sanchez in the team, United would be in a great position when it comes to deliveries into the box and general creativity. However, they do also both have a tendency to go to ground and hold their legs in apparent agony - at times to easily - which is unfortunate, as diving is of course cheating, but the amount of free-kicks awarded to United would also be increased, therefore increasing set pieces and the chance of  goal. Antonio Valencia will be returning soon, so Ferguson would have competition for wide places - which should only be a healthy thing for a big club like United.

He is also a hard worker. He can track back on those wings as well as attack - making some good tackles and then sending his own team on the counter. He would be a useful player who would add depth to any team, but when you are nicknamed "the Wonder Boy", are named as one of the 50 most exciting players in world football, and are attracting interest from some of the best managers in the world, you must be pretty special.

The Chilean certainly has a good future ahead of him, but whether it will be at Manchester United after a £15 million move, we will have to wait and see.

Man United Scouting the "next Ronaldo" and the "next Ozil"

When Manchester United signed Anderson in 2007, he was tipped to be the "next Ronaldinho". 58 games, one goal, and a serious car crash later, and it looks as if the pressure of being compared to such a high calibre player may have gotten the better of this promising talent (although at the young age of 22, there is lots of time for him to improve). United will therefore be hoping that Alexis Sanchez and Ilkay Gundogan, of Udinese and FC Nurnburg respectively, will live up to the stars that they have been compared to, rather than being a bit of a disappointment.

The "next Ronaldo" is the first player I mentioned, Chilean 21 year old, Alexis Sanchez. Sanchez has fantastic dribbling ability at explosive pace, with excellent technique and an eye for goal, his attributes extend to his good crossing ability, as well as being able to play on either wing, and up front as a striker. His finishing may not be up to scratch, after having only scored 9 goals in 73 Udinese games, but when United bought Ronaldo in 2003 (admittedly younger than Sanchez) the Portuguese had only scored 3 goals in 25 appearances for Sporting Lisbon, so the Chilean winger could certainly improve at United.

The player’s agent Fernando Felicevich said in an interview:

“Yes they (Manchester United) are watching him, and it could be a possibility in the future.

“I have heard that another Premier League club also enquired, but they didn’t contact me. For the time being the only thing I have heard is from Manchester United."

So, there is definitive contact from Manchester United to the agent about the player. This isn't just a rumour.

The "next Mesut Ozil" is 20 year old German midfielder, Ilkay Gundogan. This is just a rumour, so don't get excited about how much truth it involves, but reportedly, United have been scouting the German, and he has "impressed" them. He scored twice in FC Nurnberg’s 3-2 win over Werder Bremen at the weekend and is valued at around £8m.

Manchester United were know admirers of the "real" Mesut Ozil in the summer, but Real Madrid - the team that seem interested in any player that Manchester United are also interested in, tempted the German to Spain. Now, Ferguson may be looking for a cheaper, younger option of a similar German player, and someone who can set his midfield alight.

Ferguson has recently been signing more youngsters than big name signings, maybe to start on his "new generation" of stars and legends to replace the likes of Scholes, Giggs and Neville, or maybe it's because the big money isn't there. However, exciting youngsters with flare and determination are always welcome at Manchester United, and these two players tick the boxes.