With the European transfer window set to close, the deadline day has been shaken up by the news that Manchester City has been sold by Thaksin Shinawatra to an Abu Dhabi investment group.
The result? Manchester City has promptly stepped up and made a $54 million bid for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, who had looked all set to join Manchester United.
That’s the biggest story so far in what promises to be a day filled with transfer intrigue. Here are some other stories to follow today:
Chelsea makes final Robinho bid
From the "You Reap what you Sow" department comes word that things between Chelsea and Real Madrid have gotten ugly regarding the potential transfer of Robinho to Chelsea. Real Madrid has rejected Chelsea’s bids for the Brazilian star and have come out accusing Chelsea of unsettling Robinho, who addressed Spanish media on Sunday to say that he wants to go to Chelsea and won’t change his mind.
You might recall Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon being pretty adamant about players being able to leave when they want to when discussing Cristiano Ronaldo. Apparently that doesn’t apply to Real Madrid players.
Here are some other transfers that have developed, or are developing:
Tottenham completes swoop for Pavlyuchenko and Corluka
Tottenham completed its reloading process on Monday by completing deals for Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko and Croatian defender Vedran Corluka. The signings would seem to suggest that Berbatov will find his way out of town one way or another, but no transfer for the Bulgarian striker has been completed yet.
Quaresma heading to Inter Milan
Portuguese star Ricardo Quaresma is heading to Inter Milan after the Italian champions agreed to a deal with FC Porto that included $27.2 million and Portuguese under-20 midfielder Pele. It still remains to be seen of Jose Mourinho’s club will look for a central defender before the deadline to deal with the team’s rash of injuries in the back.
These are just some of the stories making headlines today. There should be plenty more happening in the next eight hours before the close of the deadline. Whether it is Oguchi Onyewu (who still hasn’t made a move despite growing rumors of a potential move to France) or Heath Pearce, or the completion or the death of potential Berbatov and Robinho transfers, we will look to bring you all the latest from the European transfer market later today.
For now, share your thoughts on these stories below.