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Mid-Day Ticker: Dzeko headed to City, SPL considers 10-team league and more

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By AVI CREDITOR

Manchester City is closing in on another high-priced superstar.

The English club has reportedly agreed with VfL Wolfsburg on a transfer fee for star Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko in a move that would take one of the premiere names of the transfer season off the market.

Dzeko, 24, has scored 10 goals this season for Wolfsburg and is one of the most sought-after players in the world. The exact amount of the transfer fee has not been disclosed, but reports suggest that Wolfsburg has been seeking something in the £27 million range.

Manchester City's front line would receive a massive boost with the addition of Dzeko, who scored 28 goals in all competitions a year ago. The move may also signal the end of the road at the Eastlands for Emmanuel Adebayor and/or Roque Santa Cruz.

Here are a few more items from around the soccer world:

SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE CONSIDERING 10-TEAM SET-UP

Scottish Premier League officials are considering a number of changes to the league, and one of them is to constrict the top flight to a 10-team league.

Despite overwhelming manager and fan opposition to a smaller league, SPL chairman Ralph Topping has said that expanding on the current 12-team Premier League "wouldn't work economically," and that the number of teams should either be reduced or stay as is.

Other changes the league is considering include an earlier start to the season and a winter break.

BLACKBURN ENTERS RONALDINHO SWEEPSTAKES

Blackburn has reportedly extended a three-year, £20 million offer to Ronaldinho to try and lure the Brazilian playmaker to Ewood Park from AC Milan.

Ronaldinho is said to be on his way out of Milan one way or another, with a return to Gremio in Brazil, where he began his professional career, being one of the favored destinations.

Blackburn, which has also stated its intentions to have Steve Kean be the club's manager for the foreseeable future, has thrown its hat in the David-Beckham-loan ring as well.

AGUERO EXTENDS ATLETICO CONTRACT

One player who doesn't figure to be moving anywhere in the transfer window is Argentina and Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero, who signed a two-year extension with the club to keep him in Madrid until 2014.

Rumored to be headed to Chelsea over the summer, Aguero appears to be staying put alongside Diego Forlan atop the Atletico Madrid formation for the long haul.

MACHEDA LOANED TO SAMPDORIA

In an effort to secure regular playing time, budding Manchester United striker and 2010 MLS All-Star Game MVP Federico Macheda has been loaned to Sampdoria for the remainer of the season.

Macheda, 19, has been buried on Sir Alex Ferguson's depth chart behind Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez. Although Rooney is injured, the Italian youth international still figures to be able to receive more run in Serie A, where he started his youth career with Lazio.

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Do you see Dzeko having success at Manchester City? What are your thoughts about a 10-team SPL? Can you see Ronaldinho or Beckham ending up at Blackburn? Happy to see Aguero staying put? Think the loan is a good move for Manchester United/Macheda?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. “To think that league is guarenteed a Champion’s League spot is a joke.”

    The SPL has just lost a CL spot due to the UEfa coefficient. They have had 2 CL spots so far with the runner-up having to go through CL qualification. From now on, the Scottish Champion will have to go through qualification. And hence it is possible that you won`t see a Scottish team in the CL group stages for a while.

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  2. I agree. I will call it like I saw it.

    Outside of a few moments, Ljungberg couldn’t cut MLS.

    He was traded for a second round draft pick.

    Watching him being shut down was painful ( with the Sounders ) and gratifying ( with the Fire playing the Sounders ).

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  3. I think they’d end up being mid to lower table teams in the EPL if they switched tomorrow, but would probably end up being top 10 in a few years. Either way, the SPL is garbage.

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  4. I’ve always thought it would be much more prudent for the SPL to be absorbed by the EPL. The SPL is too weak to be guaranteed a CL spot and Rangers and Celtic could use some stronger competition. The rest of the SPL are all Championship caliber, anyways.

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  5. when you pay a player 30 million or however much, that is the new bar…. that becomes the minimum for later down the road.. sooner or later, there will be no point to watching a league when the outcomes of the table are 99% pre determined and many teams fall by the wayside financially. Clubs literally go broke just to maintain a talented squad. Salary cap is smart

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  6. adebayor is pretty much gone. tevez perpetually has one foot out the door. balotelli is already dreaming about greener pastures at ac milan. signing dezko seems prudent.

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  7. Tevez and Balotelli might be on their way this summer. CYA I guess. If Tevez sticks around he’d do well playing off of Dezko. That said, as a United fan I hope Dezko sucks and does more harm than good to City.

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  8. While it would be financially prudent, it’ll never happen until one of the superclubs back it….and we know that’ll never happen.

    That is, until one of them bankrupt themselves and then magically it’ll appear.

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  9. People can say what they want about MLS but if I’m buying stock…I don’t put my money in the SPL and rather invest in MLS.

    To think that league is guarenteed a Champion’s League spot is a joke. That roller derby of a league sure ain’t what it used to be and with bringing in retread +30 MLS players, I think people should call it like they see it.

    Rangers and Celtic can’t even make that league relevant anymore.

    Reply

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