Wenger is closing down on
Panucci, Franca and Pires - Soccernet
Arsenal have launched a £4million
move for Italy defender Christian Panucci - and are also exploring the
possibility of adding Brazilian striker Franca to the Highbury attack.
Panucci has publicly expressed
his desire to leave Inter Milan and although former employers AC Milan
have also shown an interest, Arsenal are still leading the chase.
The 27-year-old - a European
Cup winner with AC Milan and Real Madrid - was in London this week,
joining close friend and AC Milan star Alessandro Costacurta at
Wednesday's match between England and Ukraine.
Arsenal have made three
approaches to Inter, returning after an initial bid of £3m was
rejected, and have now been given permission to discuss personal terms.
Panucci's massive wage demands
- he earns £60,000 a week at the San Siro - will certainly test the
north London club's resolve during a summer that has already seen hectic
transfer activity.
The arrival of Panucci, able to
play anywhere across the back but most comfortable at right back, would
bolster the side's ageing defence.
However, manager Arsene Wenger
is also seeking to strengthen his front line and he flew to Brazil this
week to eye up Sao Paulo striker Franca, scorer of Brazil's goal in
Saturday's 1-1 draw with England at Wembley.
Sources in Brazil say Sao Paulo
expect Wenger to return with an official enquiry but add that the club
will ask no less than £13m for the 24-year-old, who is undoubtedly the
unrivalled star of their team.
Arsenal are also looking to add
to their midfield, with Wenger resigned to losing Emmanuel Petit.
The unsettled French
international, who said this week that he wanted to move to a 'dream
club', is expected to leave Highbury if interest in Italy and Spain is
converted into a reasonable offer.
Wenger has already preempted
the loss by signing Cameroon international Lauren - a midfielder who is
also comfortable in central defence - for £7m from Real Mallorca this
week.
The Arsenal manager is also
closing in on Lens midfielder Alexander Nyarko after meeting with the
player's representatives in Strasbourg. A bid was due to arrive in Lens
this week.
Personal terms have been agreed
with Marseille's Robert Pires, leaving both clubs to finalise the £6.5m
transfer first revealed in Soccernet.
EXCLUSIVE: "If
someone makes a
"good " bid for Nicolas Anelka, the Frenchman will be sold
immediately,- declares Sans.
But then Real president added
that no one has actually made the right bid.
" If someone makes £18ml bid for Nicolas, I will not be against
him leaving the club. Of course, it will be hard without him, because he
scored some very important goals for Real, but that's business."
It's interesting that immediately after the Champions League final Sans
declared that Anelka was not for sale. How would you trust people after
that?
Do you think that these people just make business on this and must
not tell the truth all the time? You
tell us!
Petit happy
to stay at Arsenal, reckons Daily Soccer
France midfielder Emmanuel
Petit says he will not be seeking a move from premier league club
Arsenal before next season.
"My contract with Arsenal runs for the next three years and there
is no reason for not staying there," he said.
A number of reports last season suggested Petit was unhappy in the
English game and wanted a transfer.
"If something comes up maybe I will consider the opportunity to go
but I won't do anything to trigger a transfer now. My first goal is to
have a good European championship," he said.
Petit joined the London club from Monaco in 1997, helping them to a
league and FA Cup double.
Barthez
joins United to become Premiership's highest paid player
This
move was only made possible when Barthez broke up with his girlfriend,
supermodel, Linda Evangelista. Before that French keeper did not
want to leave Monaco only because Linda felt at home there. This
transfer opens news prospects for Barthez and Mark Bosnich would
probably be looking for a new club, not wanting to be the second choice
keeper. Full story 30/May/2000
Petit to join Real Real Madrid, reports
eurofootball.com
According to sources close to Real Madrid, Emmanuel
Petit will complete a FF 100m (Ђ13m) transfer to Real Madrid in
the next few days.
The Arsenal defensive midfielder will sign a four year contract with
Lorenzo Sanz’s club which will see him earn FF 16m (Ђ2.5m) a
year.
Arsenal have signed Cameroon international
Lauren, says Daily Soccer
Real Mallorca's Cameroon international Lauren Etame-Meyer
has signed for English premier league Arsenal, the Spanish club
announced on Friday.
Arsenal have paid the player's buy-out clause of 2,000 million pesetas
($10.71 million), Mallorca said after they had lost 2-1 at home to
Atletico Madrid in the club's last game of
the season. Lauren, as he is known in Spain, did not play in the game
"in order to avoid any possibility of an injury", a club
spokesman said.
The spokesman added that the transfer had been signed and sealed in less
than 24 hours.
The 23-year-old midfielder, who has been at Mallorca for the last two
seasons, is due to arrive in London on Monday for a routine medical
examination. He was one of the stars of the recent African Nations Cup,
held in Ghana and Nigeria during January, wich was won by
Cameroon.
($1=186.71 Peseta)
Chelsea chasing £17ml. Salas, reports Soccernet
Chelsea are ready to break the British transfer record
to bring Chile star Marcelo Salas to Stamford Bridge. The FA Cup
finalists have already begun talks with the striker and Lazio which
would see Salas move this summer. And this while Ј10m Chris Sutton
is being left in doubt about whether he will even be a substitute
against Aston Villa at Wembley.
Arsenal are closing down on Pires, Soccernet
reveals
France, May 19
(Reuters) - Olympique Marseille midfielder Robert Pires said on Friday
he was very keen to join Arsenal and hoped a deal could be set up before
the start of the European championship.
'My manager told me
he had had contacts with (Arsenal manager) Arsene Wenger and so far it's
the best track he is following,' Pires said.
'I haven't talked
myself to the Arsenal people but I know that if they sign me up it will
be to play on the left side in the position of Marc Overmars.'
'Having a coach
like Wenger ensures a player will improve,' said Pires. 'It's obvious
that Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry are now
outstanding players thanks to Wenger.'
The French
midfielder said he was interesting in playing in the Champions League
next season, an opportunity he would be denied if he stayed at Olympique
Marseille.
'When you start
playing the Champions League you want to play it every year,' he said.
'Because this is the best way to stay at the top.' Arsenal qualified for
next season's Champions League by finishing second in the premier
league.
Pires, who joined
Marseille from Metz in 1998, said he had learned a lot playing for the
former European champions.
'I had one good and
one bad season at Marseille. Even this year, with relegation looming
over our heads, forced me to be strong mentally.'
'I don't know what
Marseille want to do next season. But one thing is sure, I'm not going
to spend another year playing for nothing,' he said.
'The question of my
transfer should be settled in the coming days and we will see.'
