Man Utd settle on Lewandowski fee with Borussia Dortmund

Manchester United are ready to welcome Robert Lewandowski to Old Trafford next season. 

Record, citing German sources, says Lewandowski is set to sign for United and move to England for the 2013/14 campaign. With less than two years to run on his current deal, United and Dortmund have agreed a fee of £12 million for the Pole, who will ink a five-year contract. 

 Lewandowski, 24, has scored 12 goals this season for the German club and is also coveted by Manchester City and Juventus.

Man Utd boss Ferguson encouraged in bid for Real Madrid outcast Ozil

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to try again for Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil. 

Mesut Ozil

Ozil is no longer a first choice under Jose Mourinho following the arrival of Luka Modric and sources insist he is growing increasingly unhappy. United chief Alex Ferguson has asked to be kept informed of any developments and would be at the front of the queue if Real decide to sell. 

Fergie is hunting a successor to 38-year-old Paul Scholes, who looks set to retire for the second time at the end of the season. If Real do choose to offload Ozil, the Spaniards would want double the £12million they paid Bremen. But United still have money to spend after missing out on Eden Hazard and Lucas Moura in the summer.

Pep Guardiola's Natural Destination Is Manchester United, Not Chelsea or City

Josep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola to Chelsea was always a stretch.  Why would a manager who thrived on continuity at Barcelona risk his reputation at a club that hosts a revolution whenever a billionaire Russian feels like it?

As ever with Chelsea, Roman Abramovich's buying power justifies the speculation, but why are we to assume money is even a factor in Guardiola's decision-making?

Not everybody can be bought.

Money won't tempt Lionel Messi to Manchester City, for example. And it won't tempt Sir Alex Ferguson to see out his 70s managing an obscure Chinese club for $1 billion a season.

Guardiola has already passed up a year's earnings to spend a sabbatical in New York. He needed to "rest", he told reporters in May, after walking away from Barcelona—hardly the sentiment you'd marry to somebody motivated by money.

But, still, Abramovich thinks his wallet will win out. Chelsea made a second failed approach in October for Guardiola.

The same paper claimed Guardiola cited Chelsea as his "dream job" in early November—adding that he loved the way Roberto Di Matteo set them up this season and is a big fan of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata.

Then came the Di Matteo sacking. Abramovichhired his ninth manager in Rafa Benitez and opened the revolving trap door to a man who six months earlier had led Chelsea to their greatest triumph.

Chelsea fans rounded on their owner and their new manager on Sunday—booing both with equal ferocity. Meanwhile, their team tightened up to play out a dull 0-0 draw with Manchester City and are in danger of becoming the first holders to go out of the Champions League in the group stages.

Suddenly, the Guardiola to Chelsea rumours began to look a little less viable. 

So maybe Chelsea wasn't his "dream job" after all? What an earth-shattering surprise.

Of the Manchester clubs, United are the better fit—not just because of their history and the level of trust they've afforded Ferguson in his 26 years, but because their ethos is closer to that of Barca.

Barca are a football family. During Sunday's 4-0 win against Levante, they had 11 homegrown players on the pitch at the same time (Pitchside Europe). Chelsea could claim just Ryan Bertrand in the squad of 16 who drew with Manchester City. City were without Micah Richards, their only homegrown player.

In that sense, United—though the club is not quite the production line it was in the early 1990s—much more closely resembles the environment in which Guardiola made history with Barca. 

But it goes beyond youth development and choosing owners with a long-term vision. If you're going to make a comeback, make a big one—and what's bigger than taking over from the great Sir Alex Ferguson, and at a club with a romantic vision to fit Guardiola's footballing philosophy.

Guardiola has already turned down Chelsea's money. Turning down Ferguson's legacy would be far harder.

Man Utd boss Ferguson ponders trying again for Inter Milan contract rebel Sneijder

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is monitoring Wesley Sneijder's amazing situation at Inter Milan. 

Sneijder

 The Dutch playmaker has been warned by Inter management that he won't play again for the club unless he accepts a pay-cut. Sneijder, who is feted as one of the world’s best midfielders, was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in 2011, but pledged his future to Inter. 

 However, Sir Alex Ferguson could be tempted to try again as Sneijder’s future at Inter doesn’t look like being resolved anytime soon. Coupled with that, United have looked flat in the middle of the park in recent games, and Sneijder could provide an extra dimension to their play.

Man Utd closing on Torino defender Ogbonna

Manchester United are keeping tabs on Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is chasing Torino’s Italian international centre half Ogbonna to bolster his leaky defence. 

Ogbonna: The next Devil?

Fergie’s spies have watched the 24-year-old’s last two games in Serie A, with the Premier League leaders looking at potential new faces in central defence because of concerns about their current crop at the position. 

Ogbonna, who is of Nigerian descent, has emerged as one of the best defenders in Italy after coming up the hard way with Torino during their time outside the top flight. 

Chelsea fires another boss!

So that's that, then. Roberto Di Matteo bites the dust at Chelsea. And if you can find the logic in it, you're a better man than me. 

Di Matteo: bites the dust despite becoming the first Chelsea manager to win Champions League

They say it's a "results business." And most likely, Chelsea will become the first defending Champions League winner ever to go out at the group stage following the 3-0 defeat at Juventus on Tuesday night. 

But if you buy this "results" line then it's equally true that Di Matteo came in and rescued a wayward season and delivered Chelsea its first ever Champions League crown. Not just that; he also won the FA Cup. 

Villas Boas

And sure, Chelsea had good fortune on their side in overcoming Barcelona and Bayern Munich on their way to the big one. But it's also true that they weren't exactly lucky in their recent Premier League outings against West Brom, Liverpool and Manchester United. The Blues could easily have had another four points from those three games, in which case they'd be top of the table. Would Di Matteo have gotten the boot then? 

Who knows? 

It's becoming increasingly hard to decipher what goes on in Roman Abramovich's head. You will no doubt hear a whole load of anti-Abramovich stuff being thrown around right about now, much of it having to do with how he's "trigger-happy" because he sacked eight managers in less than nine years. 

Avram Grant

Strictly speaking, those numbers are misleading. Avram Grant and Guus Hiddink weren't sacked; they were always interim bosses who were let go after their spell. And Claudio Ranieri, the first guy to get the chop, was someone Abramovich had inherited from the previous regime. 

You can give an owner a pass for removing a leftover boss (and one who had been there for four years), especially if he replaces him with a Jose Mourinho. The Special One's departure was the one most Chelsea fans regret, but internally, Mourinho had run his course and tensions had bubbled over with club officials and players. You can live with that one. 

Furthermore, you can also understand why Andre Villas-Boas and Luiz Felipe Scolari both went, as they had the worst and second-worst results of any boss in the Abramovich era. AVB had also fallen out with senior players, while Scolari, at times, looked about as interested as a 10-year-old in an accountant's office. 

Scolari

But you can't give the club the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Carlo Ancelotti, the double winner who had Fernando Torres and David Luiz thrown into his lap unsolicited. Nor, by any stretch, can you do it with Di Matteo. 

I don't buy this argument about whether someone "deserves" to be sacked. Merit has nothing to do with it. You remove a manager when you think you can get somebody better. I don't have a problem with that. 

So the issue here is whether Chelsea thinks it can get someone better right now. Forget the Pep Guardiola business. He's on Manhattan's Upper West Side as you read this; unless he did some kind of sudden about-face, he's not on his way over to jump-start Chelsea's season. If -- and it's a huge if, as we've written before -- he comes to Stamford Bridge, it will be in the summer. And if he commits to Chelsea and Di Matteo had been let go at that point, few would have batted an eyelid. 

Ancelotti

Thus it becomes a question of whether there's a better available manager out there, but it needs to be somebody so good that you accept the fact that Guardiola is not coming. Why? Because no serious boss is going to accept an interim position. 

And if you were going to go for a Mr. Fix-It type who could deliver instant results, someone to "save" the season and then disappear into the background, why not keep Di Matteo? After all, it's not as if a top-four finish for Chelsea looks in question this season. And who else is going to put up with Torres? 

Unless, of course, we are to believe that Di Matteo was sacked because Chelsea did not get the result they needed at Juventus. In which case it would be a simply idiotic decision. Because the implication is that, had Chelsea drawn the game, then -- presto! -- Di Matteo would still be good enough to be Chelsea boss. 

The trigger-happy Abramovich

The reason Chelsea is in this situation isn't hard to discern. It was folly to go into a season with Torres and Daniel Sturridge masquerading as the Blues' entire strike force. That was not Di Matteo's decision; somebody further up the food chain needs to take ownership of that. 

Thinking that four central midfielders -- one of them somewhat limited (John Obi Mikel), one of them a recycled wide player (Ramires), one of them 34 (Frank Lampard) and one of them just turned 21 with little experience (Oriol Romeu) -- could be enough to see you through the campaign was equally silly. And equally not down to Di Matteo. 

Chelsea says it'll announce its new boss shortly. Whether it's an interim guy or a permanent hire will tell us plenty about what the next move is and whether there really was a coherent plan. Right now though, it looks like a knee-jerk reaction and nothing more.

Man Utd, Man City head-to-head for new English wonderkid Zaha

Manchester United and Manchester City have joined the battle for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha. 

The next wonderkid from Crystal Palace

       The Manchester Evening News says Zaha has been on Sir Alex Ferguson’s radar ever since his sensational performance inspired Palace to a shock Carling Cup victory over United last November. 

       As a two-footed winger he is seen as a potential replacement for Nani if the Portuguese international is allowed to leave Old Trafford. 

     Ferguson is also considering Porto’s £40m-rated James Rodriguez, but Zaha would represent a much cheaper alternative. The England under-21 star could be available for around £15m. 

      That would also interest Roberto Mancini, with City already signing rising English talents Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair in the summer.

Due to earn first England cap soon.

Zaha, the Crystal Palace winger, has emerged as one of the most highly-rated young talents outside the Premier League and Roy Hodgson has rewarded his progress by ­promoting him from the under-21s for the friendly in Stockholm on Wednesday. 

    The 20 year-old has been watched frequently by scouts from Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City this season and last week Palace co-chairman Steve Parish insisted it would require bids of £20 million before the Championship club would consider selling him. 

       Zaha, who played in both legs of the England Under-21s’ Euro 2013 play-off against Serbia last month, was born in Ivory Coast and has been approached by head coach Sabri Lamouchi in an attempt to commit his future to the country but he is expected to play some part against Sweden. 

      He will replace Walcott, who has been forced to withdraw with a muscle injury sustained against Fulham on Saturday. Palace are now facing an increasingly difficult battle to ensure Zaha remains at Selhurst Park beyond the January transfer window.

Manchester United agree a £4m deal for Chilean football prodigy Angelo Henriquez

Manchester United’s long term transfer target Angelo Henriquez finally completed his medical at the club today. The Chilean striker from Universidad de Chile has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for some time now. 

Henriquez - The Chilean wonderkid

 Back in June, Manchester United was caught amongst speculation suggesting Sir Alex Ferguson had finally convinced the Chilean club to sell of their 18-year-old striker. On Tuesday, Angelo Henriquez spent three hours at the Bridgewater Hospital in Manchester to undergo Manchester United’s medical tests. 

 According to initial reports Manchester United has paid around £4 million in transfer fees for Angelo Henriquez. 

The new Devil

 Sir Alex Ferguson has been closely monitoring Angelo’s Henriquez’s development as a player for the last couple of years. Reportedly, a number of other Premier League and Spanish clubs were also interested in acquiring the youngster. 

 Angelo Henriquez is considered to be one of the hottest prospects in football from South America. Even at such a young age the Santiago born has proved he is destined to become a star in the future. 

 Angelo Henriquez, who scored 11 goals in 17 league appearances for Los Azules, attracted a lot of interest in the transfer market this summer. Manchester United had been trailing the youngster for a long time. Therefore, the Red Devils had an edge over other competitors in signing him. 

Another great coup by Sir Alex

Sir Alex Ferguson’s routine of swooping in for young talents around the world is turning into a habit. The legendary Scotsman has reformed Manchester United’s transfer policy with the club investing in smart transfer deals. Picking up talented youngsters for a sensible price is way better than splashing fortunes over established players. 

 In recent seasons David de Gea, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez have entered Manchester United ranks because of this transfer policy. All of these players have made impressive impacts in the Manchester United squad. As a matter of fact they have become a part of Manchester United’s first team too. 

 Sir Alex Ferguson expects Angelo Henriquez to do the same. The young striker could even make his debut for Manchester United this season.

Arsenal boss Wenger will NOT buy Van Persie replacement

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was coy last night over whether he would seek to buy a replacement for Robin van Persie.

 Van Persie will have a medical today at Manchester United after deal worth £24 million was struck between the two clubs.

Van Persie - Old Trafford bound

 Wenger has the best part of two weeks to spend some of the money before the transfer window is closed. He said on French TV on Wednesday night: "It’s sad to lose a player of his quality. He had only one year left on his contract so we didn’t have the choice."

 Asked who he would recruit, Wenger said: "We already signed Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud." - Lets hope Walcott still a Gunners after this 2012/2013 season!

Tottenham's Modric in Spain for Real Madrid medical

Real Madrid scent victory in their summer-long pursuit of Luka Modric and they not only expect to complete his signing in the coming days but intend to do so for rather less than Tottenham Hotspur's £40m asking price.

José Mourinho, the Madrid manager, has grown frustrated at his club's inability to bring a swift conclusion to the affair, which would have allowed him to integrate Modric in his preparations for the new season.

Modric: Madrid bound

But Madrid have finally made a break-through in the talks with Tottenham that had long since felt entrenched, despite the London club being willing to sell Modric this summer at the right price. A year ago they refused to sanction his release under any circumstances and rejected a package worth £40m from Chelsea...Daniel Levy must be regretting... 

Modric's disillusionment has reached new depths. He refused to go on Tottenham's pre-season tour of the United States, a show of dissent for which he was fined and, such is his state of mind, the manager, André Villas-Boas, has exiled him to train away from the first-team squad.

The Croatian refuse to join Spurs pre-season

The sticking point has been the fee, with the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, holding out for as close to £40m as possible and Madrid refusing to go much higher than £30m. Madrid have attempted to offer players in part-exchange, including the Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin, who is now close to joining Liverpool on loan, but Tottenham said that they wanted cash only.

The Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, has been confident throughout the summer that he would get his man and the indications from Spain on Wednesday were that the initial fee could be as low as £26m, albeit before add-ons. Tottenham can be expected to claim that the sum is greater.

Tottenham need the money to allow Villas-Boas to complete his squad. His priorities are a new striker and a replacement for Modric, with Porto's Joao Moutinho and Yann M'Vila of Rennes prominent in his thoughts. Moutinho, though, may prove too expensive at €30m (£23.5m). Tottenham have had a bid of £12m turned down for M'Vila while they were unsuccessful with a €16m (£12.5m) offer for the more attacking midfielder, Gastón Ramírez, of Bologna.

Man Utd clinch £24M deal for Arsenal striker Van Persie

      Manchester United have clinched a deal for Arsenal striker Robin van Persie.

Van Persie - The new Devil

United sealed the signing of the summer on Wednesday night when Arsenal agreed to sell Robin van Persie to their Barclays Premier League rivals for £24million.

     After weeks of negotiating with Arsenal and the Holland striker, United have beaten Manchester City and Juventus to Van Persie’s signature and the 29-year-old will have a medical at Old Trafford on Thursday. 

United are understood to have agreed a £15m downpayment for last season’s Footballer of the Year and Players’ Player — who scored 30 Premier League goals for last season. That will rise to £24m depending on appearances.

Kissing goodbye to Gunners!

Van Persie is expected to sign a four-year contract worth over £200,000 a week. A statement on United’s website said: "Manchester United is pleased to announce it has reached agreement with Arsenal for the transfer of Robin van Persie. The deal is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms."

Meet Nick Powell - Manchester United's next star

The 18-year-old has signed a four-year deal with the Premier League giants, and joins the club with a reputation as one of English football's most promising talents.

As Nick Powell controlled, pivoted and half-volleyed past Cheltenham goalkeeper Scott Brown 15 minutes into this season's League Two play-off final, Twitter, like half of Wembley, erupted. The 18-year-old, during the biggest game of his life, went viral.



Nick Powell



A fortnight on, with Crewe promoted after a 2-0 victory in that game and the attacking midfielder, as expected, having joined Manchester United, @NPowell25 is back amongst the hashtags, trending again. Not since Dean Ashton has a Gresty Road graduate been part of the mainstream football consciousness quite like Powell, with the former West Ham striker securing an England cap before seeing his burgeoning career cut short at the age of 26 due to an irreparable ankle injury.

The likes of David Platt, who joined the club after being released by United and academy product Danny Murphy preceded Ashton as Crewe's most lauded alumni. Powell should outshine them all. An attacking midfielder who, unlike other recent United signing Shinji Kagawa, makes early runs with the ball from the centre, Powell dictates matches with an unerring sense of calm for one so young.



 With his back to goal, the 18-year-old has a Paul Scholes-like ability to act as the catalyst behind attacks, rather than the beneficiary. His vision and close control may have been honed at Crewe's famed academy, but his moments of brilliance on the ball are borne from something innate - a natural reading of the game that simply can not be taught.

Beyond that, Powell has shown a finishing ability, notably from outside the area, to justify a more advanced second striker role similar to that of Wayne Rooney in a front two. League Two's Apprentice of the Year may well be best known for his effort at Wembley but ask those at the Alexandra Stadium and his goals away to both Gillingham and AFC Wimbledon this term were of equal quality.



Powell


Powell's ability on the ball and evident self-confidence has often masked his lack of physical presence; the teenager's only obvious weakness in a division where brawn often outweighs brains. The temptation on United's part, therefore, will be to bulk up their new man to prepare him for the rigours of the Premier League, but the England youth international is often far too elusive for it to matter - no player at Crewe won free-kicks in the 2011-12 season quite like their confident man in the middle.

For most at The Alex's Reaseheath training complex, Manchester United will be seen as the ideal club for Powell to continue his rapid development and a reported £3 million fee, potentially rising to £6m is as good as the new League One outfit could have realistically hoped for. Sir Alex Ferguson's ability to spot and integrate youth talent is untouchable in the Premier League, and that the Scot visited Gresty Road in May to keep tabs on the youngster as Crewe beat Aldershot speaks volumes of his admiration for the attacker.

In February, Ferguson admitted his regrets over failing to sign Joe Hart from Shrewsbury when the England goalkeeper was a teenager. Now, two weeks into the transfer window, the United boss seems intent on eliminating the chances of a similar 'what might have been'.



New Fergie fledgling



The Railwaymen, named after Crewe's famous station, are used to waving off their most exciting talents and on to greater destinations, but never before has it been quite like this. Powell, barely 18 and already making headlines, is a very special talent indeed.

Why Man Utd boss Ferguson is serious about signing Robert Lewandowski

Many were predicting Robert Lewandowski to be the breakout player of Euro2012 - and after his goal in Poland's opening game, the Borussia Dortmund striker is now looking a sure thing.



Robert Lewandowski



So much so that Manchester United, according to local sources, slapped in an €18 million offer for the 23 year-old barely 24 hours after his header against Greece. The speculation is unlikely to faze Lewandowski, however, who has been living with increased scrutiny regarding United ever since he struck a hat-trick in front of a watching Sir Alex Ferguson for BVB's German Cup final triumph over Bayern Munich.

"Since I started playing professional football, there has always been transfer rumours about me," said the Pole, who has a clear idea of how cut-throat professional football can be. "I can't make a commitment to any club because I think that something like this in professional football is nonsense. "Dortmund wants to keep me? Okay. But maybe someday they'll be desperate to sell. Then all their vows will not mean anything." 'Lewy' was making those comments in the middle of difficult contract talks last season with BVB.

But his coach, Jurgen Klopp, insists the striker's influence off the pitch, his engaging, positive personality, went a long way to helping them achieve the Bundesliga and Cup Double last season. "Clearly, the consultants play poker, the players do themselves a bit, but in the end, Lewy remains the same," smiles Klopp.



A huge success at Dortmund



"In football, the squad is a lot more than outsiders think." Klopp is a huge fan of his centre-forward, as is Ferguson - and they're not alone. Germany coach Joachim Low said of Lewy: "Lewandowski really impressed me. He's had a very good season. He is a guarantee of success for Borussia Dortmund." Franck Ribery, the Bayern Munich winger, reckons Lewandowski "is more important" to Dortmund than the much-coveted Mario Gotze.

While Lazio striker Miroslav Klose says: "I have followed his career, who in the past two years has improved considerably. "His goal scoring record in the Bundesliga speaks for itself. You have to be a really good player to achieve those results in such a strong league." Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke agrees: "We knew he was talented and capable of scoring goals at this level. But we didn't think he would develop so quickly and score with such consistency."

Even Peter Schmeichel, the Manchester United goalkeeping legend, says: "I want to see him at the Euros. I want to see if he can repeat his form for Borussia Dortmund on such a stage." For all the protests from Watzke and BVB's directors, Lewandowski appears to have been preparing Dortmund fans for his departure this summer.

After clinching the Double, he confessed: "We have done it all this season. I've also thought: What can I now accomplish with Dortmund? What's left for me to do?" Before leaving to join the Poland squad, Lewandowski even urged fans to read between the lines and understand Watzke's insistence that he wouldn't be sold.





"Mr Watzke has to say that," said Lewandowski. "For the moment, I'm the only striker Borussia has with Lucas (Barrios) now going to China." If United is to be his next destination, the English giants will be signing a player convinced he's far from reaching his peak.

"No way!" protested the Pole when asked if he felt he'd fulfilled his potential. "I will continue to grow, not only for the next two or three years, but much longer. I know that I still have a lot in reserve. "Please remember that football is a game not just for your legs, but equally important, and at some level, more important, is the mentality."

Asked to describe himself, Lewandowski says his next club will be getting more than just a goal scorer. "I'm more than a penalty box player. I usually create. I can work with the ball on the ground, play quickly on the counter-attack - my assists record is no fluke. I'm just a more versatile player." And his ultimate ambition?

To catch the game's top two - Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid). "These are the players of the highest quality, it is difficult to compare in terms of achievement. "Certainly in terms of value I am somewhat lacking, but ... I can achieve a lot by hard work in training. You can be sure I will be chasing Ronaldo and Messi. I can catch up!"

Hazard chooses Man Utd: Only minor details to be settled

French sources say Lille star Eden Hazard has decided to sign for Manchester United. 

Old Trafford bound?

Hazard's agent confirmed yesterday that the Belgian had agreed personal terms with United, Manchester City and Chelsea and would be announcing his choice next week. 

However, Mercato365 says Hazard has decided on a move to United and now only minor details need to be settled to complete the switch to Old Trafford. The player and United already have a broad agreement and only loose ends need to be tied up before the transfer is formalised in the coming days. The deal will be for five years.