Transfer rumours are a dime a dozen. Very few have genuine substance so they should always be taken with a huge amount of cynicism. Yet they cannot be completely ignored in case there’s the slightest grain of truth in them. Some media outlets are obviously more reliable than others so Truly Reds is prepared to report the gossip and give a rating of 1 to 5 as to how believable it’s likely be. A rating of 1 can almost certainly be dismissed out of hand while a 5 may give the story some creedance. Have a look at the latest sports news and transfers being reported but be warned – only believe what you want.
Jose Mourinho is ready to rival Manchester United and Liverpool in the £15m race for Ashley Young who is out of contract at the end of next season. Aston Villa will sell the England winger this summer to ensure he does not run down his deal.
United are favourites to land the 25 year old but Liverpool also hold out strong hopes. Young has told several Villa team mates that he has his heart set on a move to Old Trafford, as revealed by Sportsmail. But Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has identified Young as a player who can not only succeed in Spain but make the La Liga club a future profit as well. Manchester City are also monitoring developments – Rated 3
Manchester United have made a dramatic late swoop to hijack Manchester City’s deal to sign the highly rated winger Alexis Sanchez from Udinese for up to £26.5million according to The Telegraph. It’s understood that Sanchez’s representatives met with City officials on Friday to thrash out personal terms for the Chilean international. But in an unexpected twist that will cause alarm at Eastlands, it is believed the agents then had a further meeting, this time with United, yesterday morning.
Neither club has yet agreed terms with Udinese although the Italian club have accepted that Sanchez can leave this summer and is free to discuss a move. Personal terms are not thought to be an issue for either Premier League club – Rated 3
Here’s a surprise twist to Manchester United’s search for a suitable replacement for Edwin Van der Sar. Sir Alex Ferguson will reportedly attempt to lure Shay Given from local rivals Manchester City according to the Caughtoffside.com website! Sir Alex has seen his moves for a succession of keepers seemingly falter and the Scot is now looking to bring the Irish international to the club.
Ferguson has attempted to secure deals for both Schalke custodian Manuel Neuer and Liverpool goalie Pepe Reina and has also apparently failed to persuade Atletico Madrid youngster David De Gea to leave Spain for the Premier League. Not the most reliable news source – Rated 1
Still on the search for a replacement for van der Sar, Sporting Lisbon are remaining tight lipped about Manchester United’s reported interest in goalkeeper Rui Patricio. But Patricio is still being mooted as a target and the Portuguese club’s president Godinho Lopes has refused to rule out a move for his in form goalkeeper.
Talk Sport quotes Lopes as saying “At the moment I’d rather not say anything about the existence of offers for our player. Patricio is playing very well and is part of the plans for Sporting next season. I trust he will continue to put in good performances with us – Rated 2
Then there are those who are rumored to on the way out of Old Trafford. Gary Neville has already done so, van der Sar and Paul Scholes are very likely to follow while a Ryan Giggs retirement will not come as a shock. So who else may be wearing new colors next season? Most likely are rated 5
Tomasz Kuszczak – Looks certain that his time at Old Trafford has come to an end with the signing of Anders Lindegaard in January. A move elsewhere can do his career the world of good – Rated 5
Owen Hargreaves – Must be one of the unluckiest players ever signed by Ferguson. One injury followed another but it looks like the time to put up the white flag has now arrived. His departure will be sad but it now looks inevitable – Rated 5
Dimitar Berbatov – May prove to be surplus to requirements even though he looks certain to be the Premier League top scorer. It’s one of the ironies that can happen in football! Odds are that he will end up moving to Germany, Italy, Spain…or White Hart Lane – Rated 4
Wes Brown – The longest serving United player after Giggs and Scholes. A dust up with Ferguson earlier this season has not helped his cause and he looks certain to be on the way out – Rated 4
Michael Carrick – Could end up with a fourth Premiership winning medal in his five seasons at Old Trafford but can also find himself on the outer in order to make way for a new, more creative and consistent midfield signing – Rated 3
Will £26.5million for 23 year old Alexis Sanchez represent good value?