Marco Borriello’s agent has revealed that Manchester City tried to sign the 28-year-old before he joined Roma on loan.

Borriello completed a loan move from AC Milan to Roma on transfer deadline day, following the arrivals of Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the San Siro.

“With the arrival of Robinho and Ibrahimovic at Milan it was obvious that the spaces for Marco were shrinking,” Borriello’s agent Tiberio Cavalleri told Corriere dello Sport.

“Juventus was the first to move but the loan with no fixed deal was a formula that didn’t convince Marco.

“But there wasn’t only Juve, on Monday, Roberto Mancini called me personally.

“We talked, he wanted Borriello at Manchester City, but then I explained to ‘Mancio’ that Borriello wanted to play in the Champions League while his team is in the Europa League.

“And then, on Tuesday at noon, the plot took a twist.

“Why Roma? Because they have offered to Marco a long-term project, because of the conviction and passion that were in the words of (Roma’s chairwoman) Rosella Sensi, because of the opportunity to play in the Champions League.

“And because of the two text messages that Daniele De Rossi sent to him.”

[Source: Il Corriere dello Sport]

Danish giants FC Copenhagen have strengthened their Champions League squad by signing Christian Bolanos from IK Start. The 26 year old midfielder has signed a four year contract with Copenhagen, who will be competing with Barcelona, Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos in the group stages of the Champions League this season.

Bolanos started his career with Deportivo Saprissa and made close to a hundred and fifty appearances for them before joining OB in 2007. However he struggled to settle down at OB and then opted to leave the club by signing for Start in November 2008. He scored fourteen goals for Start over two seasons.

Ajax striker Luis Suarez has admitted he would be keen on a move to the Premier League this summer.

Manchester United and Tottenham are among the clubs the 23-year-old Uruguayan star would be interested in joining.

“I am not going to make any secret of my admiration for the Premier League,” he told the Daily Star on Sunday.

“What I love about it is the fact that there are five or six Champions League quality teams in the league – and no other league in the world boasts that.

“When you look at the players Manchester City and Liverpool have like Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor and see they are playing Uefa Cup and not Champions League football, it tells you everything you need to know about the strength of the league.

“I know I have had a very good World Cup and with that naturally comes interest from other clubs.

“If a Premier League side comes in for me it will be very difficult for Ajax to keep me and I think they are fully aware of that.”

“Manchester United are a great side and, along with Real Madrid are the most prestigious club in the world,” Suarez added.

“You know if you join Manchester United and are there for any length of time you will win things.

“Tottenham hold appeal as well though, they are a team with great ambition and have done well to reach the Champions League.

“I like team that have shown ambition through the money they spend.

“If there are multiple offers form the Premier League I will take time to decide – but at the moment they are the two clubs that stand out for me.”

[Source: The Daily Star on Sunday]

Arsenal have signed defender Laurent Koscielny from French club Lorient on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee, the English Premier League side announced on Wednesday.

Manager Arsene Wenger told Arsenal’s official website: “Koscielny is a central defender with great ability who performed extremely well last season for Lorient.

“We identified him as a very strong centre-half, who has made big progress very quickly,” the French boss added.

“He has shown he is mentally strong, he’s a fighter and a very strong competitor. Koscielny is a great addition to our squad.”

Koscielny, who will wear the number six shirt, said: “I’m very excited to be joining Arsenal. They are one of the biggest teams in Europe with many great players.

“I’m really looking forward to playing in the English Premier League and the Champions League with my new club.

“Also, in Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have one of the best managers in the world and I can’t wait to work with him and do my best for the Arsenal supporters.”

“It wasn’t a difficult decision to make. It is exceptional to have a club like Arsenal wanting to sign you,” Koscielny added.

“I don’t believe any French player would have refused to come and play for Arsenal. It is a very big club that plays in the Champions League and it is always near the top of the Premier League.

“Arsenal is a reference for football and we all know the quality of their game. The decision was quickly taken – I took the decision the day after hearing about their interest in me.

“I know the club have the means and the ambition to get that Premier League title and to go as far as possible in the Champions League.”

Wenger had tracked the 24-year-old for some time as Koscielny, who is also eligible to play for Poland, impressed in the French domestic league.

Netherlands forward Arjen Robben says Bayern München still need new players to make big impact next season.

Robben, 26, transferred from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich for a fee of around €25 million in August 2009 and he not only helped the Bavarians to win the Bundesliga and German Cup but also guided them to reach the Champions League final.

“We still need reinforcements for next season,” the Oranje winger told Sport Bild magazine.

“It is important for Bayern to raise the quality in the squad with new players but also increase competition inside the team, we have great aims for next season,” he said.

France’s World Cup and European Championship winning captain Didier Deschamps is being targeted by ailing English Premier League giants Liverpool as a replacement for departed manager Rafael Benitez, L’Equipe reported on Saturday.

Deschamps, who was the youngest player to captain a side to Champions League glory when aged 24 he skippered Marseille to the 1993 trophy, has forged a successful career as a coach since retiring as a player and guided his beloved Marseille to their first league title in 18 years last season.

Liverpool, who had a catastrophic campaign by their lofty standards last season failing to win a trophy and finishing outside the places for a Champions League spot next term, approached Marseille on Thursday about talking to 41-year-old Deschamps.

“It is true that the managing director of Liverpool Christian Purslow called me on Thursday,” said Marseille club president Jean-Claude Dassier.

“He speaks very good French and is very courteous. I was awaiting his call as I had heard that Liverpool were interested in Didier.

“He asked whether he could talk to Didier and Jean-Pierre Bernes (Deschamps’ agent) and I replied that I would not forbid anyone from meeting with him, whoever they were.

“At the same time I told him nicely that there was no hope in hell of Liverpool stealing our coach.”

Dassier said that he was hoping to get Deschamps, who was at one point seen as a potential replacement for the unpopular Raymond Domenech as France coach but lost out to fellow World Cup and Euro winning player Laurent Blanc, to extend his contract which runs only till 2011.

“We enjoy good relations with Didier and we have confidence in him staying loyal,” he said.

“I am hoping he will extend his contract by another year. I am not worried that he will leave. It is true though that Didier is flattered that such a big club should be interested in him.”

Deschamps, a fluent Spanish and English speaker after playing spells with Valencia and Chelsea, is nevertheless seen as an outsider in the list for the post for what will be a tough and arduous job to lift Liverpool back into being title challengers.

Top of the list remains last term’s Premier League coach of the season Fulham’s Roy Hodgson, though, the former Inter Milan and Swiss national coach is loathe to leave the small London club whom he guided to the final of the inaugural Europa League last campaign.

Other names mentioned include the highly-rated Northern Irishman and present Aston Villa handler Martin O’Neill, former Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini, Croatian national coach Slaven Bilic or former Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City manager Mark Hughes.

Germany’s injured captain Michael Ballack has joined Bayer Leverkusen on a two-year contract. The midfielder rejoins the team with whom he reached the Champions League final in 2002.

The 33-year-old, who is not playing part in the World Cup, was released by Chelsea at the end of last season.

Thus the player will move back to the Bundesliga on a free transfer.

The player expressed his happiness at rejoining his former club.

“With my transfer to Bayer Leverkusen a circle is complete. I had a beautiful and successful time here, on which I like to look back on a lot,” Ballack said on www.bayer04.de.

“That was a factor in my decision.”

Reigning Russian champions Rubin Kazan have completed the signing of Moldovan striker Alexandru Antoniuc from FC Zimbru Chişinău. The 21 year old has signed a four year contract with Rubin and joins compatriot Ilie Cebanu at the Tsentralnyi Stadion.

Rubin have won the Russian Premier League for the last two seasons and will begin their quest for a hat trick of titles next month against PFC Krylya Sovetov Samara.

Rubin gave a good account of themselves in last season’s Champions League. They were in a tough group that also included eventual champions Inter Milan, semifinalists Barcelona and Ukrainian powerhouse Dynamo Kyiv.

Twente close in on a deal to sign Marc Janko from Red Bull Salzburg.

The Dutch side, who were crowned champions last season, have targeted the Austrian striker to replace Swiss international Blaise N’Kufo who has left the club to join Seattle Sounders.
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With five games left and Real Madrid standing one point behind leaders Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo is sure that he will finish his first season in Spain with a championship medal.
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