Chances of United Signing Midfield Star Take A Blow

Manchester United are looking for a central midfielder, and are prepared to spend big to get the one that is fit to step into the boots of Paul Scholes, who graced the United midfield for almost two decades. It is certainly not an easy task, as the quality needed is immense, but United have their targets, as do United fans have their favourites for the job, however Daniele De Rossi, the fiery Italian will not be that man to join the United side.

Sir Alex Ferguson has tracked De Rossi for a while, and he was tipped to become Roy Keane's replacement back in 2005 when the Irish midfielder and United captain left the Old Trafford side. No deal ever materialised, and the chances of one doing so now have taken another blow, as Roma's director of sport, Walter Sabatini, said that his 27 year-old central midfielder is not on the market and that he was preparing a new deal for De Rossi:

"I will not weaken the squad by selling De Rossi. He said many times that he wants to stay and so we will certainly reach an agreement."

De Rossi has been linked to a move to Chelsea as well as Inter Milan recently, but remains a key player at Roma, having been at the club for a decade now, playing over 350 games for his home town club. His contract at Roma expires in June 2012 and his current wages reach £60,000 a week, but he will be sure to have an improved contract offered to him soon, and it will be very likely he will sign that contract.

Back in March, it was reported that the player was having a tough time in Italy, with the Roma fans not being as supportive towards him as before. He told of his frustration with this after getting into trouble after elbowing an opponent in the Champions League game and receiving a red card for the offence to which he was highly criticized.

"They used to treat me as one of their own, they would tell me to throw in another elbow, but now the wind has changed. Something here at Roma is changing."

However, his differences with the fans and that low period now seem to be over, with his father stating back then that his son“would never want to face a future away from Roma." 

United still have Sneijder, Modric and Nasri as possible replacements for Scholes, and in truth, De Rossi hasn't been top of United's priorities this summer, with the DBS Football poll (right) illustrating this, with De Rossi being Manchester United's fans' least favourite to replace Scholes at United. There remains plenty of time to bring in that player in the midfield, and United fans have faith that Sir Alex Ferguson knows what he is doing.

Follow Me on Twitter @DBSFootball

Ricky Alvarez Deal - Inter Bid For Arsenal Target

Inter Milan have challenged Arsenal's bid for Argentinian midfielder Ricardo Alvarez, soon after Roma pulled out of the race for the 23 year-old's signature.

SkySports say that Inter Milan, the Italian giants, have placed a bid of €12 million (£10.6 million) to challenge Arsenal's bid, which is thought to be around €10 million (£8.9 million). Arsenal were previously thought to be favourites to sign Alvarez, but Inter will have moved ahead in the race, with their bid closer to Vélez Sársfields €15 million asking price.

The news comes after Roma confirmed they had pulled out of a deal to sign the attacking midfielder, with whom they had arranged a pre-contract agreement. The Roma director of sport Walter Sabatini revealed that they were involved in a pre-contract agreement with Alvarez, but the asking price is "a bit much" considering his lack of first team experience at the top level. He confirmed:

"It's true we had a pre-contract agreement, but €15 million for Alvarez is a bit much. I believe a player should be paid what he is worth.

"Alvarez was born in 1988 and has room for improvement, but it's also fair to say he hasn't played very much in the first team."

The players agent meanwhile, Marcello Simonian, was giving nothing away as to the whereabouts of Alvarez's future, but gave only a large hint that the player is indeed destined for a European move:

"I can only say that the footballer is prepared to play at a big European club."

He scored 4 goals in 36 appearances last season, but it his versatility that has attracted Arsenal's eye. Apparently he can play in any position in the midfield, and although not an immediate starter would add depth to the Arsenal. 

With rumours continuing to spread relating to the future of two of Arsenal's main mid-fielders in Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, it may be understandable that Arsenal would be looking for possible replacements. However, the fact that Arsenal were linked to a move for Alvarez before speculation begun about the future of Nasri suggests that Alvarez interests Wenger as a future regular rather than immediate starter. 

Arsenal shouldn't have to fight to hard with Velez Sarsfield to persuade them to let go of their player, with the president Fernando Raffaini saying he was ready to sell Ricardo Alvarez for "financial peace of mind" whilst stating the future of Alvarez would be down to the players own decision. Though Wenger will be wary not to involve himself in a bidding war with Inter, because we all know that is something Wenger would love to avoid.

Follow Me on Twitter @DBSFootball

Daniele De Rossi Transfer News

The past few days have seen Daniele De Rossi's name mentioned quite a few times in the transfer gossip columns in stories linking the Italian midfielder to Manchester United. This happened only a couple of weeks ago with Javier Pastore, the Argentinian attacking midfielder who was supposedly close to a Manchester United move. I haven't heard much since. 
So this is all about the De Rossi Move:

The 27 year-old is apparently prepared to leave Roma, the club he has played for over a decade. De Rossi has suffered a turbulent time in recent years, including the shooting of his father-in-law in a gang attack and the separation from his wife. The player recently told of his recent struggle with the club he began his career with, and explained that he feels that things are changing for the worse. He said after elbowing the opposition and getting sent off in Roma's recent Champions League clash with Shackhtar Donetsk:

"They used to treat me as one of their own, they would tell me to throw in another elbow, but now the wind has changed. Something here at Roma is changing. For a year and a half, the things I've heard that have given me the most pride have come from outside Rome. I have had moments at a low ebb, in which I wasn't at my best. Do I feel wounded?

"Yes, but I don't want to play the victim, I don't want people to come and tell me how great I am. The wound will heal itself. Then, everyone makes his own assessments."

His father, Alberto, admits that the player “would never want to face a future away from Roma” but acknowledges that “if he expressed himself [in that way], then there is a cause behind it.”

His contract at Roma expires in June 2012 and his current wages reach £60,000 a week. That is well within United's budget, and with Sir Alex reportedly being given £100 million to spend, the £20 million fee supposedly being asked for the defensive midfielder would not be a problem. However, 27 is not the ideal age for Sir Alex who has been and will be looking more to youth to replace the older generation of Giggs, Scholes and van der sar.

The former Roma striker Ruggiero Rizzitelli does not believe that De Rossi will leave Italy:

"The truth is De Rossi won't leave Roma. He is their Bandieraplayer, the future captain. He is already named as the new captain after Francesco Totti."

"De Rossi has already rejected Real Madrid in the past. Two years ago the club had asked for him, but he and [former Roma owners] the Sensi family said no because he is a Roman, a Romanista and he wants to end his career at Roma like Totti.

"His dream is to remain at Roma with the backing of the new owners and the promise of a strong team to challenge."

The 2006 World Cup winners' future is looking uncertain, that is for sure. Whether it simply be transfer speculation or actual truth lies at the bottom of this story is yet to be discovered, but he would be a fantastic addition to the Manchester United side, as a perfect replacement for Owen Hargreaves.