Transfer Rumours: Barcelona eye Arteta, Chelsea on verge of acquiring Ramires
There was a recent event conducted in Arenys de Mar, Spain, to honour Cesc Fabregas. It was an event which ended in controversy again, according to The Daily Mail, 'Cesc Fabregas was brought to tears after a video chronicling his early years with Barcelona was shown to 2,500 fans' in his hometown of Arenys de Mar and 'did little to dampen the speculation surrounding his future by saying: 'I hope to see all of you more often and closer.''
What this has done is take the Fabregas saga back to the drawing board. Now no one is sure what Fabregas wants to do. By now most people probably don’t care considering how long this has managed to drag out. Fabregas is due back in England by Thursday and is expected to continue regular training with the Arsenal Squad.
Barcelona who have kind of admitted defeat to signing Fabregas in a way, now have turned their eyes to another Spanish midfield wizard. The player that has caught their attention is Everton’s midfield maestro, Mikel Arteta. Arteta was previously heavily linked to joining Arsenal if Fabregas was to leave. Considering that move might not happen, it appears as though he might be heading the other way to Barcelona instead. The Spanish midfielder might have not been in the Spanish World Cup winning squad but that was mostly due to the fact that he had an injury ridden season.
Everton have already admitted to being open to letting the player leave the club if an appropriate offer is made. However just like Fabregas’s case it is unclear as to where Arteta would play. Considering Xavi is still at Barcelona it could only mean, that Arteta would be second choice to the midfielder and would spend most of his time on the bench. It is now up to the player to decide whether or not he wants to get first team action.
Chelsea are on the verge of finally completing their long awaited capture of Benfica and Brazil’s midfielder, Ramires. According to The Independent, 'Reports from Portugal said Chelsea will pay a total of €22m (£18.3m) for the hard-working 23-year-old, who has made it clear to the Benfica board that he wants to move to London.'
'Carlo Ancelotti wants Ramires, who is renowned for having remarkable stamina, to occupy the right side of the midfield. Earlier this summer the Double winners let Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Juliano Belletti quit on free transfers, leaving Chelsea light in midfield.'
Tottenham are reportedly more than just interested in luring Huntelaar from AC Milan to England. They are willing to offer a swap deal for the player. Harry Redknapp has already had an offer turned down by City for Bellamy and wishes to sign at least one forward before the start of the season. According to The Daily Mail, 'The White Hart Lane boss has had a £4million bid for Manchester City marksman Craig Bellamy turned down and a loan move for AC Milan striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar rejected,' it then adds: 'But Redknapp remains undeterred and is ready to play the waiting game. He believes he could even get BOTH players on loan with their clubs desperate to offload them.'
Fulham are currently the only player that have shown any sign of interest in Manchester City want away, Roque Santa Cruz. The forward has been spending most of his time on the bench at the Eastlands and has finally decided it is time to move on. City feel the same way and are willing to let the player go to whatever team presents them with a decent offer.
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