Real Madrid And Barcelona To Leave La Liga

Former Real Madrid general director Jorge Valdano expects the capital outfit and Barcelona to leave La Liga at some point in the future, with a European league proving to be more interesting for them.

Sevilla president Jose Maria Del Nido recently ridiculed La Liga for its lack of competitiveness due to the domination of the big two and Valdano thinks it’s only a matter of time before Barca and Madrid have had enough.

“In the future Madrid and Barcelona will be forced to look elsewhere for clubs that develop at the same speed. That will eventually move to a European league,” Valdano was quoted as saying by Cadena Ser.

“The gap between the big two and the rest is only getting bigger in the next few years. You can’t help but feel that it will only get worse over time.

“Barcelona and Real Madrid have the entire world as their market, while the others only have their local community.”

This would be a rather shocking, and seemingly unlikely, development which aligns the Spanish league to a similar issue that has been felt in the SPL for quite some time. Jorge Valdano talks of the lack of competition without taking some of the responsibility for this issue.

For instance the cut of TV revenue handed to Barcelona and Real Madrid exceeds the other sides in La Liga and it is also worth noting that whilst either Real Madrid or Barcelona have won the last seven titles, three of the five titles before that were taken by Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna, and in many ways that record is not unlike Man United and Chelsea’s dominance in the Premier League but then you don’t hear those two clubs asking to leave.

Players To Call Off Serie A Strike

Sources within the AIC claim the collective bargaining contract will be signed on Monday, calling off the players’ strike.

The opening weekend of the Serie A season was postponed when the Players’ Association (AIC) called a strike in protest at the union of clubs (Lega) refusing to sign the collective bargaining contract.

The AIC released a statement late on Friday confirming there was “moderate optimism” around the proposed interim agreement.

“The contract will be signed either late morning or early afternoon on Monday September 5. The only things missing are small technical details,” an AIC source told the Ansa news agency.

“We only need to review a few things tied to the regulations and our lawyers are working on finalizing everything.”

This means the Serie A season will finally kick off next weekend. The first game will be Milan-Lazio on Friday evening at 19.45 UK time.

The Saturday night match is Cesena-Napoli, while Juventus-Parma opens Sunday at 11.30.

Palermo-Inter conclude Week 2 at 19.45 on Sunday September 11.

Man United Plan January Playmaker Move

Chelsea and Manchester United will battle it out for the signature of Luka Modric in January despite Tottenham refusing to sell the midfielder this summer.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy rejected Chelsea’s £40million offer for the Croatia midfielder in the closing days of the transfer window but the Blues are in no mood to give up their pursuit of the player.

However, they are set to face competition from United when clubs are allowed to trade again next year.

Levy displayed rock-solid resolve in refusing to grant Modric his wish to join Chelsea but sources at White Hart Lane fear the playmaker might get his way during the next window.

United were interested in Modric, who had made his preference for Chelsea clear because he would like to stay in London, during the summer but he was not their first-choice midfielder.

However, the 25-year-old has now moved up the pecking order. United’s principal target in that position was Samir Nasri, who chose instead to join their rivals City.

They were also chasing Wesley Sneijder but when Inter Milan sold Samuel Eto’o to wealthy Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, there was no pressure on owner Massimo Moratti to cash in on the Dutchman, whose weekly wage is above £200,000.

Tottenham Plans To Bring In David Beckham

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is planning a move to sign LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham in November, when the former Real Madrid and Man United man will be out of contract and therefore available on a free transfer. The veteran England international has helped his MLS side to a commanding position at the top of the standings and is keen to keep playing competitive football, not least as he is hoping to compete in the 2012 Olympics.

Beckham has been in good form stateside this term, currently ranked as the second most prolific assist maker and as soon as his season comes to a close, which could be as a late as November 20th, when the MLS Cup takes place, Tottenham will look to make a short term offer to sign the 36 year old.

Though the one time Old Trafford hero has stated in the past that he would only consider a move back to the Premier League to return to Man United, the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson is unlikely to make such a offer may lead the midfielder to consider other options.

Beckham is now in his fifth season at LA Galaxy and will hope to bring his time in the MLS to a successful conclusion with a championship win in LA in November. As yet the England man has not decided if he will accept a new deal to stay at the club and as such there is much speculation that he could look to move back to Europe ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

Levy may feel that the high profile of David Beckham may be a money spinning opportunity too good to pass up and the fact that the midfielder is showing good form may also serve to hand Redknapp another option to his squad which saw a number of players leave last month.

The North London club offloaded Jamie O’Hara, Robbie Keane, Jermaine Jenas, Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch but failed to land a ‘marquee’ signing due to spending restrictions imposed by chairman Levy. Redknapp will be glad that he managed to keep Luka Modric from joining Chelsea but the only outfield signing of note came in the form of Scott Parker. Emmanuel Adebayor arrived on a season long loan deal to help beef up the club’s attack.

Arsenal Keep Tabs On £20m Brazilian Playmaker

Arsene Wenger will reportedly monitor Lazio midfielder Hernanes over the coming months with a view to a possible bid for the Lazio man in January as the Arsenal boss continues to search for long term replacements for Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas. Although the Gunners boss brought in Mikel Arteta from Everton and Yossi Benayoun on loan from Chelsea it is worth noting that at 29 and 31 years of age respectively, it would appear that the North London club is still looking for long term additions.

25 year old Hernanes had a very successful first season in Serie A last term, finishing as the club’s top scorer netting 11 goals from midfield and helping the Rome based club to their first top six finish in four seasons. The adaptable attacker can ply his trade as an advanced midfielder or out on the wing.

The former Sao Paulo man is now a regular part of the Brazilian national team set up but may feel that a high profile move could further push up him the pecking order and garner the attention of coach Mano Menezes.

Wenger was linked with a number of possible additions to his squad following the departure of key players and whilst moves for Eden Hazard and Marek Hamsik failed to come to fruition it may be that come January, after much scouting of the Lazio man, a bid may be made for the £20m rated Stadio Olimpico star.

Arsenal have funds available having sold players to the tune of over £60m and by the time the next transfer window opens will be fully aware of just where additions may need to be made in order to maintain any title challenges that are still relevant come the turn of the year.

Manchester United Expect To Confirm Double Loan Exit

Manchester United is expected to offer goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak and striker Mame Biram Diouf on loan to Football League clubs in the coming days.

With the transfer window shut for Premier League clubs, it is only teams in the nPower Championship or below able to give either player the first team football they both desperately crave.

The alternate option for either would be a surprise switch to Turkey, where the domestic leagues and transfer window delayed due to the match fixing scandal that has gripped the country.

Polish custodian Kuszczak has been unable to convince Sir Alex Ferguson he is worthy of a place in the team, with young Spaniard David de Gea recruited to replace the retired Edwin van der Sar rather than promoting from within.

Diouf was unusual signing at Old Trafford in summer 2009, and has never looked like troubling the first choice strikers.

A loan spell at Blackburn only yielded six goals in 29 appearances, and Man United will be happy to get both players off their books with hope they can secure permanent transfers later down the line.

Leandro Damiao Eyeing European Switch

Internacional forward Leandro Damiao revealed he is relishing the prospect of playing in Europe.

The Brazil international has caught the eye of several clubs across Europe after establishing himself as one of the most prolific strikers in his homeland, netting 30 goals in all competitions this season.

Tottenham and Porto were both credited with an interest in the 22-year-old, with Spurs having a €13.6 million bid rejected by Internacional.

And while Damiao says he is interested in trying his luck in Europe, he stressed he was not contacted about a potential transfer.

"No-one from Porto approached me about leaving Internacional. I did not talk to anyone about that, nor was I told anything about that possibility," he told A BOLA.

"If there is an opportunity to play in Europe, of course I would like it."

QPR To Attempt Incredible Transfer

Queens Park Rangers will prove they have returned to the big time with a sensational swoop for Los Angeles Galaxy star and former England national team captain David Beckham.

The Sun claim new Malaysian owner Tony Fernandes will aim to persuade Beckham that regular Premier League football is the best way to ensure selection for the British Olympic squad in 2012, which the Englishman is known to be keen to be a part of.

Though Beckham's wages would be far from cheap, the fact that his contract with LA Galaxy is close to expiring and that costs would likely be retrieved with QPR shirt sales and increased attendances.

"Tony promised Neil Warnock plenty of support in the transfer market and proved that in the recent window," a QPR source revealed to the Sun.

"But bringing Beckham back to England next month would top the lot and it's not a pipe-dream."

Palermo Question Pastore Deal

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini will take legal action against Javier Pastore's agent following the midfielder's sale to Paris St Germain.

The Argentina international moved to the Ligue 1 side for 42 million euros in the summer, but part of the transfer fee went to the playmaker's adviser Marcelo Simonian, and his company Ten Football Corporation.

According to Repubblica, the eccentric club owner has filed a complaint to the Prosecutor of Palermo regarding the amount of money that the South American's representative gained from the deal.

As Simonian owned part of the player's rights, Ten Football Corporation gained 12.5m euros of the sale, but Zamparini has complained, alleging that the agent wanted more of the fee, which almost stopped the deal going through.

Prosecutor Maurizio Scalia will work alongside the Core Tax Financial Police to investigate the legalities of the 22-year-old's move to France.

Schalke Looking To Offload Jermaine Jones & Jose Jurado To Turkey

Schalke is looking to offload midfield pair Jermaine Jones and Jose Jurado who are surplus to requirements, and are hoping for interest from Turkish clubs who have two days to go until their transfer window closes, according to Bild.

The Bundesliga club has slashed their squad from 58 players to 41 this summer and is looking to sell both Jones and Jurado who are high-earners at the Gelsenkirchen side.

Jones has three years left on his current contract that is believed to be worth €4 million a year while Jurado only joined the club from Atletico Madrid last campaign and signed a contract worth €3.5 per annum.

Neither player has featured regularly under coach Ralf Rangnick this season, with the former Hoffenheim tactician choosing a more youthful midfield.

Jurado cost Schalke €13m but is believed to be available for around €8m, while club sporting director Horst Heldt is said to be willing to listen to all offers for Jones, who spent the second half of last season on-loan at Blackburn Rovers.

Schalke resume Bundesliga action next Sunday when they travel to Wolfsburg.

Juventus Ship Out Ziegler

Juventus have confirmed summer signing Reto Ziegler has joined Turkish side Fenerbahce on a season-long loan deal.

Ziegler only signed a four-year contract at Juventus a couple of months ago to join from Sampdoria, but has been shipped out by coach Antonio Conte.

The Switzerland international had yet to make his Serie A debut for Juventus and the loan has cost Fenerbahce a fee of €600,000 (£525,000).

The former Tottenham Hotspur player has reportedly failed to convince Conte that he is the solution to Juventus's problematic left-back spot.