I think we'll certainly get a new keeper in the summer.

Doumbia has an excellent scoring record, but Ibarbo doesn't and is also injured as well. We typically don't have too much luck with players who start their Roma careers injured so that's worrying.

Cech will more than likely be available in the summer.

Yup, those links won't be going away and I have no problem with that.

I think he's probably the best candidate out there for us. Ticks every box in what we need in a keeper.

Indeed. I am sure many Chelsea fans would find it ideal too, as the last thing we want is Cech going to another English team.

I asked James Horncastle on Twitter about our transfers and he said

"Needed fresh impetus now. Alas, Ibarbo signs after 6 wks out. Gets injured and will miss another 6 wks. Doumbia still at AFCON."

He ain't wrong.

What's your twitter handle, brah? Mine is @MotorCityLupo.

We have been linked to Baba Rahman, Adriano, Bruno Peres, Darmian, Mitrovic, Jovetic, and Dzeko. Out of these players, who would you guys realistically bring in? We are basically even when it comes to player transactions and I have no clue what our transfer budget looks like but its probably in the region of 50mil at the most given past mercatos.

Players In:
Nainggolan=9*
Ibarbo=5
Iago Falque=8
Bertolacci=8.5
Jovetic=20*Loan w/ option to buy
Mitrovic=16
Darmian=15-20
Baba=15-18
Adriano=5-6 at most

Players Out:
Bertolacci=20
Viviani=4
Pellegrini=1.5
Holebas=3
Doumbia=13-14
Gervinho=14
Destro=14

Jovetic is a waste of money. Injured all the time and not the hitman we need.
Rather piss off Viola and Thornir and get Salah.

I would sign Casillas if we could get rid of Maicon, Gervinho and Coles silly wages.

Casillas
Darmian - Romagnioli - Manolas - Baba
Pjanic - De Rossi - Naingolan
Iturbe - Mitrovic - Salah

Could be enough to challenge Juve and not get embarassed in Europe. And a very young side as well.

I wouldn't say Jovetic is a waste of money. He's Serie A proven and when healthy was one of the best attackers in the league. Sure it's a risky transfer but that is why many teams are going the loan w/ option to buy route. Casillas would be a waste for me. Just keep MDS for one more season and invest in a GK next summer. Also, Salah would be nice but we are stacked in the winger position and they're other areas to focus on.

MDS
Darmian/Peres - Manolas - Castan/Romagnoli - Baba/Adriano
Pjanic - DDR - Strootman/Nainggolan
Iturbe/Flo - Dzeko/Destro/Mitrovic - Totti/Ljajic

Casillas' wages are surprisingly low so that's very doable, but Madrid are going to want quite a bit of money to let him go....especially when it's not certain they'll get De Gea.

Agree with the players going out though I think one of Ljajic or Pjanic is right on the bubble. The feeling I have is that if we get the right offer for one (but not both) of them, we won't turn it down.

I personally think Dzeko needs to remain our top forward target. His style is exactly what's needed in Garcia's system as I think he's a more finished product than Destro in movement and finishing. I like Mitrovic, but I'm not sure he's ready for lead the line of a club of our standing just yet. That's a huge step up from the Jupiler League for him. Agree with Flame on Jovetic, but that means we keep one of Destro or Doumbia if we don't get him, I'd say. If it comes down to that, I think I'd keep Doumbia.

As for full-back, I don't see Darmian coming this way with so many bigger clubs after him and I'm not at all sure we'll be the top suitors for Adriano as well. He's won everything so he could like our project, but I just don't think it's gonna happen. That said and as much as it's being talked up, I don't see us signing both a RB and LB in the same window so if it comes down to one of Baba or Peres, I see 2 scenarios:

- Sign Baba now, given that LB has lesser depth, and go another season at RB with Maicon, Toro and Flo (emergencies).

- Sign Peres now and play Torosidis on the left. Crescenzi or Cole will likely play behind him.

Either way, whoever we don't sign probably won't be available again for the sum they're at now as they'll either get snapped up by someone else or have another great season, thus raising their value probably out of our reach.

I do very much like Dzeko but he's already 29 yrs. old and reports are suggesting a 5 yr. contract worth 4.5mil. That has Borriello written all over it. That's why I suggest buying one or both of Mitrovic/Jovetic and keeping Destro. It just makes more sense financially.

Yeah the Boriello similarities are unmistakable with Dzeko, no getting around that. However, I think it's important to remember though that Boriello did score 15 goals for us in his first season and I think he had more in him before he was all, but discarded. When you're a club with a 38 year old captain that is still your best attacker, a 29-year old is as good as a 23-year old lol. And then there's the case of Luca Toni, another golden oldie. We should be the last club complaining about aging strikers with the luck we have with them

If we're going to go with a striker Mitrovic's age, then I agree with you in that Destro would then need to stay.

It's financially sound indeed, but with the mercato we had back in the winter, we need those signings to be just as sound on the pitch as well which is why I'm wary of Jovetic given his injury history.

I think the fact that Totti at 38 yrs. old being our best attacker is more a testament to how great he really is but I definitely see your point McLewis. A 3 yr. contract would be the ideal situation but I'm more worried with what we will do in defense. I don't think we should assume that Castan will be at 100% to start the season so that leaves us with Manolas, M'Biwa, Romagnoli to start and thats worrying. Furthermore, we only have Cole at LB and so we definitely need to reinforce that area. Fingers crossed for a good mercato.

Agree, defense is where my worry also lies. We weren't Zemanlandia-esque porous back there, but we shipped way more goals than we should've and did in 13/14.

M'Biwa isn't starting quality. Should be coming off the bench when injuries pop up. Romagnoli might just play that same role, but if he's as good as he looked last season, I think he'll quickly take a spot from Castan (if still not fit) or Manolas (if not on form). Castan will be a huge boost for our defense not only from a footballing perspective, but from a mental perspective as well. His injury is just as bad as Strootman's ACL tear so I think it's going to be up to his mental fortitude whether he comes back the defender we knew him to be. We'll find that out very quickly I suspect.

As for Cole, for me he has to play more. He simply wasn't as bad as he was made out to have been so I don't buy this talk of him being a flop. It's hard to flop if you never play. Like I said before, he must've slept with Francesca Brienza or something to have been put in the doghouse so quickly like that for Holebas, who was serviceable honestly. This position is where I would pour in the transfer money and get someone like Baba, Kurzawa or Digne. We can survive another season at RB with Maicon, Toro or Florenzi if needed until we can make a big splash over there too.

Sell Yanga and sign another Augsburg player Ragnar Klavan

And Dzeko is no boriello. He has class, he has won things. Has skills, pace, finishing. Though I would get Mitrovic also if Destro leaves. Or atleast Salah. Its quite clear that both Destro and Doumbia will leave. Though I would rather see Mr. Helicopter Gervinho leave..

So it seems that Darmian is off to ManU for 18mil. Baba and Bruno Peres it is then.

We also have to keep in mind the new squad rules taking effect in the 2016 season. It limits the squad to 25players with 4 of them being academy players and 4 growing up in Italy. Totti, DDR, Florenzi, and Romagnoli make up our academy quota but we are lacking homegrown in Italy players. I believe only Destro and MDS fit that bill.

That could end being what keeps Destro here more than anything else. If that's the case, I worry even further for his development.

We haven't really been linked with any other Italians so this may be a spot of bother.

I honestly wouldn't mind that at all. He performed well under Rudi in his first season and if he can regain that form then he can be a useful player for us.

I think that largely depends on Rudi. I still maintain it was a mistake to prioritize Totti or Destro like he did last season, causing Destro to be ostracized and thus unsettled. Totti ended up being our best attacker, but for me he was underutilized in his role and needs to be playing behind a striker like Destro and not as one.

If Destro stays and we get Dzeko...his ostracism will likely get worse unless Rudi finds a way to play both along with Totti....the only I see that is with a 4-3-1-2 or a 4-2-3-1....neither are his traditional 4-3-3 so I'm not holding my breath.

Sirigu being mooted again now that PSG have signed Kevin Trapp and Blanc is ready to make him their starter. Sirigu is likely going to leave.

If ever there was a keeper to take us forward into the next 4-5 years...it's this lad. We need to get him. Also gives us a 3rd Italian homegrown player.

Sirigu, Peres, Baba, and Mitrovic/Dzeko without selling Pjanic and/or Ljajic would make this a fantastic mercato

we are moving to slowly. Missed out on Darmian and now Mitrovic is looking unlikely

Meh, I was lukewarm on Mitrovic anyway. Buy Dzeko and keep 2 of Gervinho, Doumbia and Destro and we're set in attack.

Baldissoni has said that signings are expected for the pre-season trip to Indonesia and the ICC in Australia so they're probably not to far off.

Saw that Saba offered City 10mil + bonuses for Dzeko, a lowball offer if I ever saw one If we can get him for 15-18mil then that would be good business. Need to hurry up land one of Baba or Kurzawa and have Cole back him up. RB is set at least til winter with Maicon, Toro, and Flo. And at CB I would like us to sell that scrub Yanga and pick up someone like Savic, Mustafi (who I really like), or Glik, hell I would even take back Kjaer to push Manolas for that starting RCB spot. I really do believe Romagnoli is ready to step up and challenge for that starting LCB position or at least start until Castan comes back.

Romagnioli will be sold to Milan and then we will sign a 30+ year old from some club like Chievo...

Garcia says we need three players but I think more like 6-7. Unmotivated scrubs like Doumbia, Gervinho and co needs to be sent away.