Huntelaar, Ajax Reveal Manchester United Interest

It has been long assumed that when Ajax star Klans-Jan Huntelaar was ready to move beyond the Eredivisie, Manchester United and Arsenal would be interested.  With contract talks between Huntelaar and club on an extension for the 24-year-old going nowhere, the Dutch international may be ready to move.  Today, Huntelaar went as far as to say he won’t sign a new contract with the club.

Both Huntelaar and Ajax have confirmed that Manchester United are “very interested” in the striker, who would fill the Red Devils’ need for a tradition number nine.  The traditional number nine was thought to be Dimitar Berbatov last week, but Huntelaar better fits the profile of player Alex Ferguson traditionally pursues.

Conversely, Arsenal is reportedly yet to contact Ajax about the Dutch international.

Huntelaar has been one of the most prolific scorers in Europe since his move to Ajax from Heerenveen three seasons ago.  During that stretch, he has scored 96 goals in 115 contests (all competitions).  He has also made thirteen appearances with the national team, scoring eight goals, one of which came during Euro 2008.

Because of the resourcefulness with which he scores his goals, Huntelaar draws natural comparisons to Ruud van Nistelrooy.  The former Manchester United star’s name was evoked by Huntelaar when discussing his potential interest in a move to Old Trafford.

Real Madrid has also been long linked with Huntelaar.

Ajax is reported to have put a £20 million price on a potential Huntelaar sale, only slightly more than Arsenal proposes to sell Alexander Hleb to Barcelona for (below) and the cheapest of United’s rumored targets, which includes Berbatov and Lyon’s Karim Benzema.  Ajax has already insured against a Huntelaar sale with Friday’s acquisition of Miralem Sulejmani from Heerenveen.

Juventus Spurning of Alonso Could Have Chain Reaction

In a bit of irony that could have a serious effect on Liverpool’s Premiership ambitions, Juventus is now looking for more midfielder options besides Xabi Alonso.  Alonso’s Euro 2008 run and subsequent holidays have delayed transfer negotiations, and the clubs’ inability to agree on a price (now that discussions have started) has led Juve to look at other options.  AS Roma’s Alberto Aquilani is currently linked with a move.

Juve coach Claudio Ranieri has said the club has multiple options to fill their needs in midfield.

If Juventus go for an option besides Alonso, the decision could impact the Gareth Barry negotiations.  It may be no coincidence that the asking price on Alonso, now thought to be north of £16 million, has increased in proportion to Martin O’Neill’s asking price for Gareth Barry.  Rafa Benitez’s tight transfer budget likely requires him to sell Alonso before he can move for Barry.  Should a sale to Juventus not take place, Benitez would have to find another team to take Alonso.  At that point, it would be unlikely Benitez would be able to get £16 million for his most attractive sale item.

If Liverpool can not get enough money for Alonso, they may have to rely solely on the money they received from Portsmouth for Peter Crouch.  If that happens, there is little chance Benitez will be able to get the forward he seeks to pair with Fernando Torres.  This week, Benitez against brought up David Villa as a target, though it is unclear how Benitez can meet a newly resolute Valencia’s price without getting Juventus-money for Alonso.  The Villa rumors, as well as those about making a play for Tottenham’s Robbie Keane, would die quickly.

In the interim, the sale of Peter Crouch has done nothing to speed up the transfer of Barry.  Now three days after Liverpool gave Portsmouth permission to negotiate with Crouch, there has been no progress in the Villa-’Pool negotiations.  Martin O’Neill is set at a price of £18 million.  Liverpool, knowing Barry will go nowhere else, continues to try and short-change Aston Villa.  Villa is said to be willing to come down to £17 million of Rafa Benitez throws in Steve Finnan, but Benitez rates the defender higher than £1 million.

Around the Premiership

• Inter Milan faxed a £6.5 million offer to Chelsea for midfielder Frank Lampard along with a request to start negotiating personal terms with the player.  Chelsea refused, with Luiz Felipe Scolari saying in his first press conference that both club and player want to stay together.  Rumors immediately started surfacing of Lampard’s continued desire to move.  Today, the first rumors surfaced of Lampard buying out his contract.
• AC Milan has inched closer to a loan deal for Andriy Shevchenko, the former Rossenari striker who is on the outs at Chelsea.
• Responding to last week’s rumors that he would be targeted should Arsenal lose Emmanuel Adebayor, Newcastle’s Obafemi Martins said he would find it hard to resist the Emirates should Arsene Wenger come calling.  Since that time, Huntelaar has become available and the talk surrounding Adebayor has cooled, making an approach for Martins less likely.
• Money for Huntelaar or Martins could come from the sale of Alexander Hleb, who was in route to Barcelona today for a medical.  Barcelona and Arsenal are said to have already agreed on a fee, with Hleb to sign a four-year contract with Barça.  The fee for the winger,  who is keen to move away from London, is likely to be between £12 and £15 million.
• Another Gunner set to leave the Emirates, though one that will be missed less on the pitch, is last season’s vice-captain Gilberto Silva, who looks to jump to Super Greek League power Panathinaikos.  Silva lost his regular spot last season to Mathieu Flamini and still looked unlikely to regain playing time after Flamini’s move to AC Milan.
• Liverpool finalized the acquisition of Andrea Dossena in a move that had been reported last month.  Dossena, formerly of Serie A’s Udinese, will immediately step in at left back.
• The Reds also inched closer to closing the deal for Palmeiras goaltender Diego Cavalieri, with a £3 million fee agreed and the medical passed.  Personal terms and a work permit are the remaining obstacles for the Brazilian goaltender who will be Pepe Reina’s understudy.
• Everton have put a £12 million price tag on forward Andy Johnson, who Sunderland, Wigan and Fulham are pursuing.  Though David Moyes has said he does not intend to sell Johnson, the sale of the now reserve striker is expected to be needed to fund Moyes’s close season ambitions.
• That sale could finance the acquisition of Argentine forward Diego Milito from Real Zaragoza.  Milito was linked with a possible move to Tottenham three weeks ago but has since seen David Moyes step up Everton’s chase.  Milito, who seems sure to leave relegated Zaragoza, would prefer a move to Genoa in the Serie A.
• The same rumors that surfaced at the end of the season linking midfielder Mikel Arteta with a move to La Liga and Atletico Madrid have come up again, with the Everton star said to be the subject of a £12 million bid.  Those rumors, having surfaced this weekend, cooled after a series of Atletico moves this week, none of which involved Arteta.
• One player David Moyes had been targeting to bolster the midfield was Brazilian-born, Turkey international Mehmet Aurelio.  Aurelio signed with La Liga’s Real Betís today.
• On the same day Aurelio escaped, Moyes’s acquisition of Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell went through.  The little-used Sidwell, sold for £5 million, is expected to slot into Gareth Barry’s spot in the starting XI.
• Colin Kazim-Richards has played the field well in his plan to return to the Premiership and now has a chance to move to Manchester City, where as he looked destined for Hull two weeks ago.
• City have also sewn up Richard Dunne, putting ink to a contract that Mark Hughes reported as agreed-to last week.  Dunne had been linked with Tottenham and Portsmouth.
• To help Dunne at the back, Manchester City has approached  Chelsea about purchasing defender Tal Ben-Haim.  The price would be in the £5 million range for the defender, who is one of a speculated seven names Luiz Felipe Scolari has decided to unload to pair down Chelsea’s roster.
• Mark Hughes is also keen on reuniting with goalkeeper Brad Friedel, one of his key contributors last season at Blackburn.  Shortly after the Rovers hired Paul Ince to replace Hughes, news leaked that Ince would look to replace Friedel, having identified him as a weak link in the club.  Hughes would bring Freidel in to help nurture Englan international goaltender Joe Hart.
• Tottenham has reportedly made a £10 million bid for Spartak Moscow forward and Euro 2008 star Roman Pavlyuchenko.  The bid has been rejected, with Spartak saying they want at least £12 million for Pavlyuchenko, should they decide to sell the Russian Premier League’s leading scorer in 2007.
• Spurs also failed in another bid for Sevilla winger Diego Capel.  The 20-year-old said he is not considering a move this season.
• Pascal Chimbonda is set to leave Spurs, but whereas last week he looked destined for La Liga and Valencia, it now appears former coach Martin Jol at Hamburg SV is angling to acquire the defender.
• Newcastle has agreed to a new three year contract with center back Steve Taylor.
• Kevin Keegan is also making a play for Swiss international Gokhan Inler.  The Udinese midfielder is the subject of a £4 million Magpie bid after his success at Euro 2008.
• Paris St. Germain have finally let midfielder Dider Digard move to Middlesbrough in a move that was held up for almost a weak after PSG suspended the player.
• Middlesbrough also finalized the move of forward Marvin Emnes from Sparta Rotterdam.  The 21-year-old cost Boro £3.2 million.
• Sunderland is looking to strengthen their backline by reacquiring George McCartney.  The left back was sold to West Ham two years ago.  The Black Cats are to have made a £4.5 million offer to reacquire him, with sources saying the Hammers have already rejected the approach.
• Earlier this summer it looked as if Wigan target Amr Zaki, playing for Zamalek in Egypt, would be moving to the Premiership.  Now with the club standing in the way of his move, the Egypt international is asking FIFA to step in an invalidate his contract.  Zaki claims the contract should be voided because his salary has not been paid, though the Egyptian Football Association has already failed to cancel the deal.
• Bolton have gotten ink to contract extensions on Jussi Jasskelainen and Ricardo Gardner.
• Fulham have received permission to talk to West Ham striker Bobby Zamora about stepping into the new vacancy in their lineup.  They also received permission from the Hammers to talk to defender John Pantsil.  Zamora had been linked with a loan move to Championship favorite Queens Park Rangers.
• Last week, Brazilian midfielder Geovanni agreed to a two-year contract with Hull City two days after being released by Manchester City.
• Henrik Pederson has left Hull City and returned to Denmark, leaving Hull surprised and suddenly thin on the left side.
• Hull have also reached an agreement with Middlesbrough for midfielder George Boateng, with manager Phil Brown saying only a few details remain to be worked out with the player.
• Stoke City and Hull City are in a battle for Portsmouth striker David Nugent.  Nugent has been largely unable to crack the starting lineup for Harry Redknapp since being purchased and is unlikely to see any more time with Peter Crouch’s acquisition.
• West Brom acquired midfielder Graham Dorrans from Scottish club Livingston for £100,000.
• Kevin Phillips made his departure from West Brom official, electing to drop back down to the Championship and join relegated Birmingham City.  Phillips was Albion’s leading scorer last season, finding the net 24 times.