Saido tug-of-war: A NUMBER OF clubs, including Newcastle and Stoke, are set to battle it out for the signature of striker Saido Berahino. The England international is unsettled at West Brom and has been pushing for a move away from the Hawthorns for some time.
Manager Tony Pulis publicly criticised the player last week for his attitude and it seems the Baggies may finally bow to cash in on Berahino. Newcastle reportedly had a £21 million bid for the forward turned down and the Magpies are set to up their bid to £25 million, with Stoke and Tottenham among those also interested.
Free agent: Former Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin is now a free agent and reports in Russia say he’s on the look out for a new club after being released by Kuban this morning. The 34-year-old has certainly experienced a fall from grace since leaving North London in 2013 and it wouldn’t be a surprise if somebody make a late move for the striker.
Russian roulette: Liverpool are preparing to make a late swoop for Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev, according to newspaper reports in Spain. The Russian international has struggled to make an impression in La Liga and has been linked with a move to Anfield in previous transfer windows.
Real manager Zinedine Zidane was quoted yesterday saying he would be happy to let the player leave if it meant he got first team football.
No deal: Chelsea rejected a big-money bid from Atletico Madrid for Diego Costa last night, with the La Liga outfit making a bold move to bring the striker back to the Spanish capital.
Diego Simeone also offered Jackson Martinez as part of the deal but the Premier League champions rejected immediately, according to The Mirror.
Retro Deal of the Day
Not exactly retro but for the week that’s in it, we can’t help but look back on the day Nemanja Vidic became a Manchester United player.
The Serbian signed for the club in December 2005 but was officially unveiled on 5 January 2006 after his work permit was granted.
Sir Alex Ferguson had identified the defender as a target two years previous and United eventually fought off stuff competition for his signature.
He would go on to become a club captain, and legend, as he helped the Red Devils to five Premier League titles, a Champions League, a Club World Cup and three League Cup crowns.
Although when he first arrived not many fans knew too much about this central defender signed from Spartak Moscow for a fee reported to be around £7 million.
As it turned out, he was one of Ferguson’s finest signings.
