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Monday Kickoff: Recent form won’t keep Lampard at Chelsea, Napoli wants Balotelli, and more

By DANIEL KARELL

Frank Lampard’s days at Stamford Bridge appear to be numbered, according to the England and Chelsea midfielder’s agent, Steve Kuntar.

Despite three goals in his last two starts, it seems that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic is ready to move on, and will let Lampard leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old had been linked to a move to Lazio in Serie A, but those rumors were previously squashed by Kuntar. However, today’s news will re-ignite the rumor mill over Lampard’s next destination, with MLS a possibility.

Here are some other stories to get your week started:

NAPOLI DREAMS OF A BALOTELLI-CAVANI PARTNERSHIP

On the heels of Edinson Cavani’s tremendous three-goal performance for Napoli last night in their 4-1 win over Roma, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has stirred the pot by claiming that he’d love to bring in Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli to play alongside Cavani.

De Laurentiis even went so far as to say it was a dream for him to see the two strikers play together. Balotelli is thought to be possibly on his way out of England after his latest off-the-pitch issue, which involved manager Roberto Mancini.

De Laurentiis has already rejected a €55 million bid for Cavani, who now has 16 goals in 16 Serie A matches.

MODRIC LINKED WITH MOVE BACK TO ENGLAND

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, recently voted the worst signing of the season by readers of the Spanish publication Marca, is now being linked with a move back to the English Premier League, according to reports out of Spain.

The 27-year-old Croatian moved from Tottenham to Madrid only last summer, for a massive fee of £33 million, has just one goal in 23 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid, and has revealed he has had a tough time adjusting to life in the Spanish capital.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked with the out-of-form midfielder, as well as former club Tottenham.

QUICK KICKS

Porto’s Colombian midfield maestro James Rodriguez has been ruled out of next weekend’s rivalry match against Benfica with a muscle injury. (REPORT)

Former German National Team midfielder Gerald Asamoah weighs into the football in racism debate. (REPORT)

Brazilian Ronaldo is set for a move to England. As a student, that is. (REPORT)

League Two side Cheltenham Town have had their training ground robbed the night before their FA Cup match against Everton. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? Where do you think Lampard will end up? What are the chances of Cavani and Balotelli teaming up in Napoli? Do you see Modric leaving Madrid so soon after arriving?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. im a madrid fan and i never thought modric was worth signing for the price we paid. i think it was a horrible piece of business for a position we didn’t need help in.

    Reply
  2. The is a funny pic, who is the evil guy smiling like if he’s gonna rape an ass and lampard looks like a high school boy celebrating a goa. Oh that romantic couple is gonna get some in the night 🙂 by the way lampard to galaxy, landon to europe or a surprise move like asia or australia.

    Reply
  3. Is this the new thing? Commenting on the picture accompanying a story rather than the story itself? I sure hope not.

    All of the stories I read in the English press about Lampard say that he’s headed to LA. Not exactly newsflash, but the level of certitude is telling.

    Reply
    • Commenting on SBI photos used to be a site norm, and was even given its own feature (SBI photo caption contests) and was qdefinitely one of the better elements of the old SBI way of doing things. Loved that section. A lot of us did too. It’s really a shame he doesn’t do it anymore.

      Reply
  4. MODRIC LINKED WITH MOVE BACK TO ENGLAND

    “Both Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked with the out-of-form midfielder, as well as former club Tottenham.”

    So, if Man United signs Modric for anything less than his £33 million price tag, obvious there’s corruption and Sir Alex must be investigated. Right?

    This is only according to Sir Alex’s own standards, as he’s currently shouting for an investigation of Tottenham for signing a player at a lower valuation than United asked for from Standard Liege.

    Once again, it’ll be ok for Sir Alex/Man United to do something as the bully but when other clubs do it, they cry foul like children.

    Reply
  5. LA are happy to hear Fat Frank’s news.

    In all seriousness, IF LA manage to snag Lampard, I think he’d be a top 3 DP signing of all time. He’s a more mobile Blanco who can score and pass. Plus he’s coming off a great season and has never relied on his mobility, so like Beckham, age won’t hamper him. Plus he’s not very injury prone.

    He’s a better Cahill.

    Reply

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