RedOranje wrote:

Gil wrote:Still wonder which striker we'll sign in the summer. We're only a "killer", Top Class CM & Luke Shaw away from the elite clubs.

That's roughly £70+m expenditure though... not really an insignificant outlay.

Mr Nick09 wrote:Jorge Mendes might be his agent, but Atletico have his rights. so they will be due of the money from the transfer. Also, they didnt need Mendes to pay aguero when they had to. let's not act like they cant do anything by themselves, and it's like costa is making 10 mil per year.

any kind of deal costa has with mendes doesnt matter.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Putting Remy in the same sentence as Welbeck is as disgraceful as me called Koscielny the French Steven Taylor tbh

Gil wrote:I don't want Diego Costa. A player of that ilk would only encourage thugball. I want us to move away with that.

I want a playmaking forward like Ibra, Messi & Suarez. Or lethal dribblers like Aguero, CR7 or prime Torres.

Who's the next big thing emerging at the moment?

Zealous wrote:

Mr Nick09 wrote:dunno zealous, 60 millions is a lot of do... not sure how they could have resisted.

If Atleti still had Falcao they'd probably win the league this season though. Atleti had just won the Copa at the end of last season and Simione was no doubt preparing his team to make a real effort to win La Liga, even for 60 million I doubt they would have sold him.

What was more likely would be them selling him after this season if they didn't win any major trophy. It was very likely that Falcao's price would have stayed at around 60 million anyway, there are not many elite CF's in the game right now.

Who knows though maybe I'm just assuming too much lol

Gil wrote:I don't want Diego Costa. A player of that ilk would only encourage thugball. I want us to move away with that.

I want a playmaking forward like Ibra, Messi & Suarez. Or lethal dribblers like Aguero, CR7 or prime Torres.

Who's the next big thing emerging at the moment?

Carlo Ancelotti wants to keep Angel Di Maria for next season but the Real Madrid are said to be less keen, reports in Spain have said.

Mundo Deportivo claims that Ancelotti sees Di Maria as an important player in the Madrid team and wants to retain the Argentina international, but the board would prefer to cash in on the ex-Benfica midfielder.

The presence of Isco, a Florentino Perez signing, is also a factor as Perez wants to see Isco accommodated. Ancelotti is working with the former Malaga player but doesn’t feel he is ready for a midfield berth yet.

Madrid’s hierarchy has also not forgotten the alleged gesture Di Maria made to the Santiago Bernabeu crowd in January, despite Ancelotti forgiving Di Maria for the incident.

The board are also concerned that in the past Di Maria’s performances have dropped once he has been signed to a new contract.

Di Maria would, in the board’s preferred option, be used as a makeweight in the signing of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.

Ancelotti will however continue next season as Madrid Coach and is planning on having Di Maria available.

"He is a Galatasaray player, we know he is a free agent and we know he finishes his contract at the end of the season," Mourinho told Sky Sports News. "But we think it is not the right moment to speak about him.

"I think it has to happen one day. When, I don't know - as a player, as a coach, as an ambassador - next year, in four or five years, in 10 years - I don't know.

"But when a person represents so much to a club and when a club represents so much to a person - and that's the case - I think he has to be back one day.

"Undoubtedly he is one of the most important players in the history of this club - that is not a doubt. I think all Chelsea supporters we agree with that.

"We don't say the most important one because that is not fair for other people that were in the same level and in the same generation, but for sure we all agree one of the most important players in the history of our club.

"Is he the same player at 36 that he was at 26? I think nobody is, but he is one of the best strikers in the world that's for sure."

“Unfortunately I do not think I’ll stay,” Batshuayi confessed to Belgian TV station RTBF

“Many things can happen but I am someone who has ambitions. I want to progress as quickly as possible. I’ll make a choice with my agents and my family. I must consider my choices carefully.

“I have not yet signed anywhere yet. I am interested in the German and English championships. They are physical and technical championships.

“Personally, I like Arsenal. There is a good philosophy at the club where trust is given to young players. This is a very technical team playing good football, and since I was little this was a team who I liked.”

Mario Balotelli’s turbulent relationship with Milan could come to an end in the summer, with Monaco apparently keen.

The Italy international has been a target for Rossoneri fans this season after a series of uninspiring performances.

The club’s nadir is said to be personified by the former Manchester City man, and the hierarchy are reportedly willing to let the striker leave in the summer.

Sport Mediaset believe that Monaco will be at the front of a queue to sign Balotelli, offering him a pay rise and the chance of Champions League football.

It is not yet clear however, how much Milan would want for Balotelli.

Dinamo Zagreb sporting director, Zoran Mamic, has confirmed that 17-year-old Alen Halilovic, declared by many as ‘the next Luca Modric’, will arrive in Barcelona next week for a medical, ahead of completing paperwork that will seal his move.

“Halilovic will pas his medical examinations in Barcelona next week and from there, everything will be made official.” – Quotes Catalan journal, Sport.

The talented youngster will then link up with the Barcelona squad for pre-season, ahead of the 2014-2015 campaign, once both clubs have completed the formalities of officially announcing the transfer, thought to be for a sum of around €10 million.

Amidst this news however, is also the revelation that Real Madrid, who were also making strong motions to sign the player this summer, could have done so much earlier.

According to news portal Terra, Halilovic had trials with Real Madrid in 2010, when he was just 14-years-old. Though very keen on the player and very much aware of his developing talent at the time, there was a reluctance to sign the youngster at the time.

This, suggest the reports, was due to apparent annoyance on the part of Dinamo Zagreb, that Halolovic’s father was touting him to other clubs, therefore Real Madrid felt it was inappropriate to interfere in a situation that may have seen them accused of poaching the player from the Croatian club.