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Wednesday Kickoff: Man United signal interest in Cavani; Vidal signs new Juve deal; and more

Edinson Cavani of Paris Saint-Germain

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Manchester United are looking into spending some major money this summer.

With reports of more than €120 million available at David Moyes’ disposal to overhaul the squad during the offseason, Man United have reportedly begun to look intently into some targets, including Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani, according to Goal USA. Cavani moved to PSG from Napoli last summer for €64 million but the report states that he’s not as happy as he would have hoped in Paris.

Moyes has reportedly identified the forward, center midfield, centerback, and left back positions as places of need. Moyes already spent €45 million last month to sign Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata.

This season, the Uruguayan international Cavani has 13 Ligue 1 goals in 17 starts (21 games in total), with another seven goals in all competitions.

Here are some more stories to start your Wednesday:

VIDAL: NO INTENTION OF LEAVING JUVENTUS

Juventus may not be the richest club in the world but they’ve done enough to keep one of their stars happy in Turin.

Even though Juventus offered Arturo Vidal a new contract in early December, the club have come back to the Chilean international and his representatives with another improved contract, worth £200,000 per week according to the Daily Mail. The report states that Vidal has accepted the new contract, which will tie him to Juventus through 2018.

The 26-year-old Vidal has been on the radar of a number of clubs including Manchester United, but this news all but rules out him moving away from Turin. Vidal has a career-high 11 Serie A goals already this season in 21 games, with another five goals in UEFA Champions League play.

BRAZILIAN CLUBS OPEN COPA LIBERTADORES GROUP STAGE ON HIGH NOTE

Atletico Mineiro’s defense of the Copa Libertadores got off to a dramatic start on Tuesday evening.

Deadlocked at 0-0 against Zamora FC in Venezuela, former Manchester City and Everton forward Jo rose highest on a corner kick from Ronaldinho and scored in the 88th minute to give his side the road victory. Mineiro’s wasn’t the only positive result out of Brazil on Tuesday as Clarence Seedorf’s former club Botafogo defeated Argentine side San Lorenzo, 2-0.

Elsewhere in Copa Libertadores action, Colombia’s Santa Fe routed Nacional of Paraguay, 3-1, Velez Sarsfield of Argentina defeated Peruvian champions Universitario, 1-0, and Oribe Peralta found the back of the net for Santos Laguna for the first time in 2014 in a 1-0 victory against Argentina’s Arsenal de Sarandi.

FALCAO MOVES TO SECOND PHASE OF RECOVERY

Radamel Falcao’s bid to become fit for the World Cup is continuing on schedule.

The Colombia National Team and AS Monaco forward completed the first stage of his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Portugal on Wednesday and will move to Madrid to begin the next phase. Falcao suffered the injury on Jan. 22 and underwent surgery in Porto just a few days later.

In a release from Monaco, the Ligue 1 club said that Falcao will continue his rehab at a sports clinic in the Spanish capital in “close collaboration” with Monaco’s doctors. Dr. Jose Carlos Noronha, who operated on Falcao, gave the 28-year-old a 50 percent chance of recovering in time for the World Cup.

QUICK KICKS

German insurance company Allianz bought an 8.3% stake in Bayern Munich for €110 million ($150 million), helping Bayern repay their stadium debt and allowing the club to open a new youth and reserve team facility. (REPORT)

Manchester United posted an 11.6 percent rise in revenues, despite the poor results on the field. (REPORT)

Tottenham’s record signing Erik Lamela has been ruled out for a further six weeks with a back injury. (REPORT)

Qatar and the 2022 World Cup local organizing committee have pledged to improve workers rights in the Gulf nation. (REPORT)

Lucas Leiva’s return from injury for Liverpool is progressing ahead of schedule. (REPORT)

Arsenal are keeping an eye on £8 million rated 19-year-old Wolfsburg midfielder Max Arnold. (REPORT)

Brazilian club Atletico Paranaense announced on Tuesday that they have signed former Brazil National Team forward Adriano to a contract, despite the striker not having played a game since March 2012. (REPORT)

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What do you think of this report? Do you see Man United bidding for Cavani? Impressed with Vidal’s new contract numbers? Glad for Peralta to finally score?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Not sure how United would make this deal happen. They arent going to want to pay what it will take, I doubt PSG will be willing to sell at a loss since they have no incentive to sell so it will take somewhere right around what they paid last year. It may take more depending on how his WC goes

    Reply
  2. News reports that both Stoke and Crystal Palace are trying to sign Fabian Johnson. Apparently both teams were ready to pull the trigger and pay a transfer fee in January, but Hoffenheim would not sell. Would rather see Fabian end up at Stoke this summer than Borrusia M’Glabach, although Gladbach would also be a good destination.

    Reply
      • Howsa bout 3…

        1. although I like the Bundesliga I gotta admit, the Premier League has more glamour.

        2. Fabian already has done the Bundesliga, why not try a new country like Daniel Williams has done. (that said, I would be thrilled to see US players now in the MLS or Mexico move to the Bundesliga, such as Besler, Omar, Corona, Zeus, Castillo, Orozco, etc.)

        3. I have watched quite a few Stoke games this season and have become a fan. Hughes is a decent coach. The fans are second to none and Fabian could team up with Cameron and become bookend fullbacks and maybe Shea and/or Agudelo will join them next season.

        All that said, Lucien Favre is a great coach and it would be great to see Fabian playing for Gladbach.

      • Since 2008-2009 the B.1 has produced one CL champion, three runners-up, and one all-German final. EPL had one champion and two runners-up. La Liga won twice in two trips and Serie A once in one trip. 4 of the CL sweet 16 are B.1. I know these things go in cycles, but B.1 is presently top dog. EPL might be more fashionable but was won last year by a side so flawed it lost in the sweet 16 last year and has fallen apart under new management this season.

      • good points. i don’t really have a big problem with him going to stoke–i agree, stoke will improve and hughes has them playing a fairly entertaining style–but i think fabian already offers more than that, and i could see him really coming into his own at gladbach.

      • Stoke has played some excellent games this season, did have some bad breaks. I think they get stronger from here on and finish mid level and we can hope next year starting knocking on a number 8 or 7 spot.

    • Personally, I’d go for a happy medium somewhere in between. BM might be too good and Palace and Stoke too weak. Ideally he picks someplace he does play. But I think the windows right after the World Cup are most forgiving for your next cycle. And I think that the best thing for the US would be he isn’t signed and has to play his tail off to make his pro case. Like I said the other day, pre-signing limits his downside risk (and upside as well) and alters his incentives for the summer.

      Far as relegation goes, unless he pre-signs, FJ is signing in the summer so the target is already up or down. He doesn’t have to guess or worry, though he might look at long term prospects.

      Reply
  3. Well, I for one certainly have faith in the Qatari government to protect the human rights of foreign workers. I envision the bill of worker’s rights to be something like this:

    1. You have the right to be hired under false pretenses.

    2. You have the right to have your passport confiscated upon entry into Qatar and held by your employer until they are ready to return it to you.

    3. You have the right to work like a slave (because that’s really how we see you) for 18 hours a day at minimum wage in brutal heat, and then to sleep for five hours a night in a 9 by 12 tool shed with 30 other dirty foreigners.

    What an enlightened piece of legislation that is.

    Reply

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