Sneijder Confirms His Interest in Joining Man United

Wesley Sneijder has confirmed that he is interested in joining Manchester United this summer, but has moved to play down the chances of a transfer happening.

According to an ESPN translation, when Sneijder was asked whether or not he was interested in joining Manchester United, he said:

"Yes, but Manchester United haven't made an official approach yet. There have been unofficial talks, there have been contacts, but then there are always contacts."

These are indeed, promising words for Manchester United fans, especially those who are absolutely sure that Wesley Sneijder must be bought in to Old Trafford in order to keep up with title rivals and European rivals, in particular, Barcelona.

Most events in this long drawn out transfer saga, details have been very vague, and Sneijder continued in that vain, by saying, quite rightly, that there is a chance he could stay, just as there is a chance he could leave. The Dutch midfielder said:

"The situation is that I am now an Inter player, and chances are that I will still be that come August 31. There is also a chance I could leave. That isn't really down to me but the club. I think Inter have been very clear: if a good offer comes in, they have to let me go. 

"They don't want to lose me but there is a chance they will let me go. If something crosses my path, I have enough time to make my decision."

His tone seems to have changed only very slightly, in that he isn't claiming full comitment to Inter Milan, and is clearly considering his future. His view is, that it is down to the two clubs, Inter Milan and Manchester United coming to an agreement over him, which, despite rumours that it has happened, has not.

Sneijder gave very little away, and when he was asked if he would stay in the UK after the Netherlands friendly with England at Wembley (which has now been cancelled due to the London riots), for talks with Manchester United, he said:

"I don't know."

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Arsenal Offer Nasri New £115k-a-week Deal

Arsenal are to do what Arsene Wenger has promised, and fight as hard as possible to keep the best players at the club, by offering Samir Nasri a new deal worth £6 million per year, according to the Star.

24 year-old Nasri, who has refused to sign several previous contract offers made by Arsenal, has been the subject of interest from both Manchester United and Manchester City. Apparently, City offered Nasri an £160,000 per week deal, double what Arsenal were thought to have originally offered Nasri back when this whole contract saga began.

The Arsenal board are now prepared to meet with Nasri's representatives according to the paper, to negotiate further with a £115,000 per week deal said to be Arsenal's new, improved offer. Arsenal are determined to keep Nasri at the club amid a stronger interest from Manchester City, who are said to have offered in excess of £20 million for the Arsenal midfielder.

They will also be hoping to avoid letting him go for free next season when his contract expires, especially now that Barcelona have confirmed they are in talks to sign Cesc Fabregas. Wenger will apparently tell Nasri that he will be made Arsenal's main central midfielder to mould the side around next season if Fabregas goes, in the hope that this will convince him to stay.

Robin van Persie is also set  to be offered a new contract - an improved one from his current £70,000 a week, even though he has a contract that runs until 2014.

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Nasri: I May Not Sign New Arsenal Contract

The possibility of Arsenal letting Samir Nasri go in the summer is increasing by the day, no thanks to the Frenchman and his delaying of signing a new contract with Arsenal. It isn't good news at all for Arsenal fans at all who would have liked to be concentrating solely on the arrival of new players instead of the departure of some of their best.

Arsene Wenger dismissed the reports suggesting that Arsenal may sell their key man to Manchester United this summer, saying towards the end of May that the one thing which is for certain is that they would not sell the player to Manchester United despite the contract disagreements. Now however, when questioned on a move to United, the Arsenal midfielder refused to rule it out whilst admitting he may not sign a contract renewal at Arsenal:

"I don't know if I will sign a new contract."

"Anyway, the discussions are ongoing. For the moment, I don't think about this. We will speak about it after the match with Poland." 

"Do I want to go to Man United? First, we should see if it's real and if it is concrete."

These are not encouraging words from an Arsenal fans perspective who witnessed Nasri have a superb first half to their season, showing stunning examples of top quality football that Arsenal need in their team to compete for the Premier League. It was telling when his form slipped, the rest of the Arsenal team faltered, ending up a hugely disappointing 4th place behind Manchester City.

Apparently, the deal on the table that has been offered to Nasri is a five-year deal in the region of £90,000-per-week - but the player is stalling on the signing of it. Nasri is trying to get himself a weekly payment of £110,000 which would bring him up the the payment of Arsenal's highest earner, Cesc Fabregas.

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Berbatov Should be Sold if £15m Bid is Offered

Dimitar Berbatov is a fantastic football player and a top professional for Manchester United. That much has been confirmed in the crazy season the Bulgarian has experienced at Old Trafford, from the highs of scoring some fantastic goals on the way to becoming the Premier League's top scorer to the low of being left out of the Champions League Final squad. However, despite affirming his commitment to Manchester United for next season admirably, it has been revealed that Berbatov will not be signing an extension to his contract at United.

With only one year left, Sir Alex Ferguson offered Berbatov a one year extension to his contract before the Champions League Final, and Berbatov did not sign. He said that he is happy to stay at Manchester United, fight for a first team place and ride out the rest of his £80,000 a week contract to allow him to leave on a free transfer at the end of next season.

Now, however much you like Berbatov for his graciousness and the certain vulnerability he showed when he told the world of the shame that came over him from being left out of the Champions League Final squad, you cannot see leaving the guy in the squad for a year only for him to leave for a free a good deal for the club. Berbatov cost the club £30 million plus Friazer Campbell on loan - he didn't come cheap, and it was a last minute deal involving a lot of stress and strained relations with Tottenham. Surely United must take some money from a sale rather than just release him?
Berbatov said on Bulgarian TV:

"I will stay, I will fight for the 20th title. If I were an easy quitter, I would never have made it this far. Everything at Manchester United starts from scratch for me on July 4."

"There will be new finals and we will be fighting for new titles. I am moving ahead. When you go through difficult times, you should not quit."

Okay, he will not quit, but he will not commit either, according to Goal.com, so it is not a great situation for United if they want to take in some money from his sale. PSG have apparently opened the bidding for Berbatov at £13 million, and there are several clubs interested in his signature, including Bayern Munich, and some have even said Tottenham.

Manchester United may be able to offload Berbatov to his former club Tottenham in some sort of player plus cash exchange for Luka Modric whom United have reportedly made their prime target, though Tottenham are far from willing to let go of him at any price.

Don't get me wrong, I would love Berbatov to stay if he was signing a new contract - a one year extension, I simply object to United allowing him to run down his current contract and allow him to go for free when you consider how much was paid for him. I hope that if Berbatov truly has decided not renew his contract or extend it, then any offer for him is very seriously considered.

With Owen recently signing an extension, Welbeck and Macheda returning to fight for a starting place with Rooney and Hernandez, competition is going to be increasing tough, so, it pains me to say it, perhaps Berbatov leaving wouldn't be such a bad thing in terms of the young players chances in the first team.

I trust Sir Alex Ferguson to make the right decision on the matter, and whatever happens to Berbatov, I am very grateful for what he has done at United, especially this season. He is a model professional and a quality footballer, and he still has game in him - whether he chooses to play them at Manchester United is another matter.

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Man United & Arsenal to Fight for Alvaro Morata

Manchester United and Arsenal are said to be preparing for a summer move for Real Madrid's 18 year-old striker, Alvaro Morata. The player is highly regarded as a big future prospect who can hold the ball up well, finish clinically in front of goal and has excellent movement and heading ability, described as similar to former Madrid and Liverpool striker, Fernando Morientes.

Real Madrid's current forward positions are tough places to win, with former United star Cristiano Ronaldo a nailed on regular, as well as competition from Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain and Manchester City loanee, Emmanuel Adebayor. It is reportedly likely that due to a busy transfer market on the horizon for Madrid in the attacking department, including the prospective signing of Athletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero, Jose Mourinho will have to let go some of the youngsters, despite their promise and potential.

The top teams in England are ready to pounce, with United, Arsenal and Chelsea all said to want Morata, who has been very impressive for Madrid's reserves, recently scoring a hat-trick in a 7-1 win against Deportivo's reserve side.

Manchester United apparently made a late bid for Morata at the end of the latest January transfer window, with TalkSport claiming that a "concrete" interest was shown by United only to be rejected by the Spanish club. There was no mention of what United may have bid for Morata, but the player has a contract which runs until June 2013 -  two more years, so he would not be out of Arsenal's, Wenger's or United's price range.

When Real Madrid's Higuain was injured during the season, the Spanish media asked Mourinho whether he would bring in Morata to the first team, to which the former Chelsea manager responded:

"He's not prepared to be in the starting lineup of Real Madrid. He needs to grow up and finish his formation with the Castilla [Madrid's reserves]"

Arsenal will be looking for a new striker in what Wenger has described as an unusually busy summer for him, especially as their Danish talent, Nicklas Bendtner has more or less confirmed he will be leaving the club in search of more game time. Arsenal seem happy to let him leave, as the profit made from him will be more useful than the player himself who has not lived up to his own high expectations.

Meanwhile, Manchester United's attacking department is already very strong, with Michael Owen signing a new one year extension today as well as Dimitar Berbatov rejecting rumours of him leaving the club due to being left out of the Champions League final squad. United will also see the return of Danny Welbeck to their ranks, as all three mentioned strikers will fight for a starting place with Rooney and Hernandez.

However, the Spanish media have been somewhat sceptical over any possible transfer of Morata to England, especially on a permanent deal, citing the reason that Madrid are well aware of the huge potential he possesses. Despite the possible signing of Aguero, Madrid would do well to keep the Spanish Under-19 talent Morata at the Bernabeu and away from the clutches of top European clubs like United and Arsenal, whatever the cost.

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Best News For Man United Since Rooney Contract

Manchester United fans may not be having the best day today. Some will have woken up this morning only to remember the crushing events of the day before - a loss to fierce rivals Manchester City. Other's may have not even woken up this morning, sleeping their sorrows away, blocking out the fact that a treble bid is now over because of their noisy, now deafening neighbours.

So perhaps the words that have come from Nemanja Vidic's mouth will cheer those fans up. He has been talking about his future, a future that has been called into question with rumours about a possible transfer away from Old Trafford. Apparently, his wife had been complaining about life in Manchester, and perhaps the Serbian was starting to listen. Top teams with far hotter weather and slightly more tropical surroundings beckoned; Real Madrid, AC Milan and Barcelona all showing interest, but Vidic has now rubbished those rumours:

“I hope to spend the rest of my career here at United." 

“I heard the speculation about me maybe leaving last year, but I know where I want to be and I have shown my commitment to the club. 

“I have given the best years of my career to this club and the talk about me leaving here was never correct. 

“I always give my best. Of course, sometimes you have good and bad days, but I think I always try to give 100 per cent – and especially now I have that armband and the responsibility that goes with it. 

“I'm definitely here for the rest of my career now. It never came from my mouth that I would be leaving United. I love it here and I think I show that on the pitch.”

What great news that is for Manchester United, who have seen Vidic be an unmovable rock at times in the United back four. He has headed out countless attacks, intercepted opposition moves at crucial times and been an inspiring, brave captain for the majority of this injury free season for him. He is undoubtedly a contender for Manchester United's player of the year, and is deservedly on the short-list for the Premier League Player of the Year.

Now it may not have seemed good news at the time, but Wayne Rooney's new contract is certainly up there with Vidic's vocal commitment to United. Rooney became hugely unpopular overnight when he claimed he wanted to move on last summer to a club with more ambition, but then made a miraculous u-turn and signed a renewed contract with United.

A poor start to the season had people questioning Rooney's quality, asking whether his career had already peeked. But as he has since proved, form is temporary, and class is permanent. A good end to the season has seen his form been clawed back, with United looking so much more dangerous when he is floating behind the striker on the pitch in the team. This was highlighted in the derby yesterday when the Englishman was missing against a tough opposition. United suffered in his absence, with it being extremely hard to break down the City defence as they doubled up on pretty much every attacking player.

That wasn't helped by the early departure of Paul Scholes, who is usually provider of that killer pass - a pass that Rooney has proved he is completely capable of.

But United fans can sleep a little easier tonight. Hopefully, they will have gotten over the gut wrenching loss to City, and have their sights on the two trophies that really count now; the Premier League and Champions League. They can do that now with the spirit lifting knowledge that Nemanja Vidic is going nowhere, and Wayne Rooney will be back from suspension. It isn't looking too bad.

Scholes & Hargreaves - Time to Say Goodbye?

Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves. Six years and 631 Manchester United appearances separate the two midfield maestros, but to the extreme misfortune of the latter, that is not the only thing that is different. Aside from the obvious difference in appearance; Scholes's distinctive short ginger hair and scruffy appearance compared to the Canadian's sleek, curly locks and pulled up socks, Paul Scholes has not suffered persistent, possible career ending injuries to the extent that his midfield colleague Hargreaves has.

Both players have been key in the teams they have represented - Scholes with England and United and Hargreaves with England, Bayern Munich and, whenever possible, United too. Hargreaves's gritty, hard-working, disciplined and precise attitude that helps him run the midfield like an engine when in top form and free from injuries has been starting to run out of petrol and chug to a halt for a while now. Those injuries have taken their toll on the 30 year-old, and as soon as he has recovered from one, he picks up another. It is pure, unrivalled footballing bad luck.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that we will not see Hargreaves play for Manchester United again this season, and that, regrettably could mean that we will never see Hargreaves play for United again, as his contract expires at the end of this season. Referring to a possible contract extension, Sir Alex said, in an unusual indecisive manner; "I don't know what is going to happen."

Talks with David Gill have been held, but that is all they are - talks - nothing more. It is understandable that Ferguson is unsure over Hargreaves's future. The player himself, or probably even his doctor are unsure over his future. His body, his injuries are just so unpredictable that a new contract would be a big risk, and one that could end up devastating an already shattered Hargreaves.

Ferguson concluded, "We have to make a decision." Indicating, rather hopefully that Hargreaves has something to cling to. There may yet be some optimism, some light at the end of the injury ravaged tunnel, the tunnel that Hargreaves has so often walked down, or hobbled down to receive some treatment. Sir Alex knows, as we all do, that if Hargreaves were to be free from his injuries, he would be a Manchester United regular, and would be driving the team forward every week to success, much like he did in his double winning first season at Old Trafford.


Scholes has been far from injury free himself, suffering blurry vision in the 05/06 season which ruled him out for a while, as well as knee ligament damage late in 2007 which saw him miss a good few months. But Scholes's end is not coming about because of injuries, but rather age, the thing that one day affects us all. Ryan Giggs is apparently immune from this thing called "age", but Scholes is not so lucky, and in a recent rare interview, the 36 year-old reiterated the uncertainty surrounding his future; "I really don't know what I am going to do yet. I've got these games to think about now and I will decide from there."

United are already looking for a replacement, with rumours circulating everywhere about the future of United's midfield, as to whom, or what will replace the passing, inspirational expert that is Paul Scholes. His ability, much like Hargreaves, in the past has been severely underrated, but those who truly admire the beautiful side of football, the precision perfect cross-field passes, the delightful dinks over the defence, the astounding forward thinking vision and the tenacity of a little man in love with football, will understand how truly great Scholes has been.

It isn't everyday that a footballer is called the "greatest player of his generation" by none other than Zinedine Zidane.

Scholes's age has limited his starts this season, and unfortunately, it is something that we will have to begin to get used to if he decides to hang up those legendary boots that have graced countless football pitches all over the world representing Manchester United. Saturday's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley may be his last Manchester derby, but it is by far, one of the most important.

Hargreaves may not have a starring role, but Scholes sure as hell will, and who knows, when he walks out onto that Wembley pitch and is greeted by cheers of 80,000 football fans, he may be overwhelmed by the great occasion and sway his mind into staying at his club for just one more year. His future is in his hands, but whatever the decision, he will have the support of Manchester United fans and footballing fans everywhere.

Arsenal Target To Sign Contract

Christopher Samba has been heavily linked to Arsenal during this Januarys transfer window, as Arsene Wenger searched the footballing world for a possible centre back to replace the injured Thomas Vermaelen. He will however, still be searching if the Blackburn manager, Steve Kean is to be believed, as he said that he he is hopeful that Samba will sign a new contract with the club within the next 24 hours.

Samba was angry at the dismissal of Sam Allardyce after the Venky's sacked the manager after taking over Blackburn. But despite threatening to quit Ewood Park it seems that, along with Ryan Nelsen, his anger has been calmed and is more settled at the club. Kean said:

"I am hopeful that there will be a contract announcement about Samba in the next 24 hours. I have spoken to the owners and I am hopeful there will be some positive information with Ryan having already come to an arrangement over a new deal.

"There was massive confusion early on [after Kean replaced Allardyce] and now we have the team captain and the club captain signing for us. I have never felt I did not have the players with me but it is only now, after I have signed a new long-term contract as manager, that I can sit down with the players without them asking: 'How long are you going to be here?'

"Now I can start to talk to the senior players, including Ryan, Chris and Michel Salgado, about their long-term futures at Blackburn."

"The players we have are enjoying working together. At the training ground I have never seen a group as tight as they are. As for what we can achieve, whether we can get European football here, I want another three wins and then see how far we can go."

Blackburn have just moved up to seventh in the League table after beating West Brom 2 - 0. Probably a good reason to stay when your team is ascending the heights of the Premier League table.

Tevez Withdraws his Transfer Request

The latest twist in the Tevez transfer tale is that the former Manchester United striker has withdrawn his request to leave City. A Manchester City statement read:

"Carlos expressed his absolute commitment to the Club and formally withdrew his transfer request. Carlos’ contract remains unchanged and both Carlos and the Football Club are keen to focus on the opportunities that lie ahead."   

So what has changed the Argentinians mind? Probably nothing at all. Earlier in the month he was absolutely certain he wanted to leave the club because he had fallen out with certain members of the club, and that there was no way he would re think his decision - thus handing in a transfer request. Clubs like Real Madrid and Chelsea were reportedly ready to swoop for the uncommitted player who was also apparently thinking of retirement.

Now, just before tonight's game against Everton - at Manchester City's ground, he withdraws his transfer request and praised by his manager:

 "Carlos is a world class player whose contribution since he joined the club has been invaluable"

He may have changed his mind because he knows that if City want to keep him at the club, they will. They are under no pressure to sell as they don't need the money, and they certainly won't want to sell to a title rival in England. Or is it simply an attempt to avoid a frosty reception from the home crowd tonight aimed at the disloyal former captain? Rooney didn't totally avoid a controversial reception after his contract ordeal at Manchester United and there will be certain members of tonight's crowd that take a disliking to the Tevez situation.