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Tuesday Ticker: ‘Caps eye Hargreaves, Barcelona-Fabregras update and more

Owen Hargreaves 1 (Reuters)

By FRANCO PANIZO

The Vancouver Whitecaps have finally admitted it. They want to sign Owen Hargreaves.

Prior to a friendly versus Manchester City on Monday night, Whitecaps co-owner Jeff Mallett confirmed rumors of interest in Hargeaves, saying that the oft-injured midfielder knows of the club's desire to sign him

The 30-year-old Hargreaves, who was born in Canada but chose to represent England on the international level, is without a club after being recently released by Manchester United. He played in 30 league matches over the last four seasons as his knees proved troublesome on a consistent basis.

Pursuit of Hargreaves won't come without competition for Vancouver, as West Bromwich Albion has already held talks with Hargeaves.

Here are more stories from around the soccer world:

BARCELONA DISCUSSES FABREGAS, SANCHEZ

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola says the club is interested in working out a deal with Arsenal for Cesc Fabregas, but that a move for a forward is more important. With Bojan Krkic and Jeffren Suarez wanting to move out of Barcelona, Guardiola is keen on replenishing depth at the forward position before moving in for Fabregas. It appears that help is on the way, though, as a deal with Chile winger Alexis Sanchez is almost complete, according to Barcelona sports director Andoni Zubizarreta.

PASTORE ON BRINK OF BEING SOLD

Javier Pastore should be on the move in the coming days as Palermo is close to making a deal to sell the Argentine midfielder to a club yet to be revealed. The transfer fee for Pastore is going to be for around $70.1 million, according to club president Maurizio Zamparini. Pastore, who just finished playing for Argentina in its disappointing Copa America campaign, has been linked with Chelsea, Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester City.

NEYMAR WANTS TO STAY AT SANTOS

Neymar has broken the hearts of several clubs interested in his services, stating he'll be staying with Santos this season. Neymar had been linked with a number of high-profile clubs in Europe, but it looks like they will have to wait longer to capture the Brazilian starlet. Neymars announcement comes days after he finished playing for a Brazilian team that was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Copa America.

SPURS SEEK ADEBAYOR LOAN

Tottenham Hotspur is hoping to bolster its attacking options, and Emmanuel Adebayor might be the man to help do so. Tottenham are looking to acquire Adebayor on a year-long loan from Manchester City, but it wants City to pay for part of Adebayor's wages. That leaves City with a problem as it wants to unload the Togolese forward and his full salary. Real Madrid is also reportedly monitoring Adebayor's situation after he spent the second part of last season on loan with the Spanish club.

PLAYER COULD FACE PUNISHMENT OVER BACK-HEEL PENALTY KICK

Scoring a penalty kick can be hard enough, but United Arab Emirates player Awana Diab did so with a back-heeled attempt in a rout against Lebanon in a friendly on Sunday. The decision to do that has caused a stir, and Diab could face punishment for what some are labeling as a lack of respect. While no disciplinary action has been taken yet, Diab did receive punishment from his coach, who replaced Diab immediately following the kick. Diab entered the game just three minutes before his audacious effort.

Here's video of the back-heel penalty kick goal:

 

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What do you think of Vancouver's interest in Hargreaves? Think it's wise for Neymar to want to stay at Santos? Do you think there should be a suspension over the back-heel penalty kick?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. modric is my favorite player! I wear his jersey every chance I get, but he and fabregas are a little bit different of players. I think modders sprays it around the park better, but fab is more capable of scoring, or playing the perfect through ball.

    Reply
  2. “when healthy”? that’s the problem…he hasn’t been healthy for a long time and there’s nothing to indicate the guy can still play at all. Vancouver would be wasting money on Hargreaves, especially as, presumably, he’d be a DP.

    Reply

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