Gossip: Strikers! Strikers! Strikers! …
Guardian: Atletico Madrid last night effectively ruled out any chance of the striker Fernando Torres leaving the club this summer. Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have been tracking the Spain international.
The Atletico president, Enrique Cerezo, has grown tired of the speculation surrounding his captain and any bids will be rebuffed unless they trigger the release clause in his contract. That figure is understood to be around £27m, a sum out of the reach of United, Liverpool and even Chelsea, given Roman Abramovich’s recent indications that such big spending at Stamford Bridge will cease.
Atletico’s failure to reach next season’s Uefa Cup will not force their president to hand over a player who has scored 82 goals in 212 league games since making his debut as a 17-year-old, as well as scoring 14 times in 42 matches for Spain. “Torres is an Atletico Madrid player and I think he will stay here for many years to come,” Cerezo said recently. “This happens every year. Everyone talks about rumours and throws figures about but Atletico are clear. Anyway, even if we put him up for sale, would he really want to leave?”
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Guardian: Fabio Quagliarella, the Sampdoria striker, said yesterday that Manchester United had made an improved offer to sign him, having failed with an initial £10m offer. Quagliarella, one of Europe’s most in-demand strikers after breaking into the Italy team, called it a “serious offer”.
“They have raised their offer and it is an important figure,” Quagliarella told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Manchester United are a big deal and if it ended up going that way, I would gladly join.”
United, who appear close to admitting defeat in their bid to prise Carlos Tevez away from West Ham, face competition from some of Italy’s top clubs after Quagliarella’s 13 goals in 35 appearances last season. The 23-year-old has been at Sampdoria for one season, having signed from Ascoli, and marked his breakthrough into the national team by scoring both goals when Italy beat Lithuania 2-0 in a Euro 2008 qualifier this month.
Samuel Eto’o has indicated that he expects Thierry Henry to leave Arsenal and join him at Barcelona next season. “I was chatting to him . . . he is a great mate of mine and we will play all together,” said the striker. “There is room for everybody.”
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Manchester United legend Paddy Crerand has urged the club to hold onto striker Giuseppe Rossi.
“I’d like to see him stay,” Crerand told MUTV. “He came here at a time when United had so many strikers, all experienced players as well.
“Maybe keeps you back a little bit because you don’t get as many chances as you’d like. But he’s great around the goal. Since I first saw him play as a kid, I always though he had a great chance.”
Crerand revealed that his confidence in the youngster’s ability is shared by Sir Alex Ferguson - a faith which may see Rossi retained as a first team squad member next term.
“I remember talking to the Manager about him,” said Crerand. “And the Manager has his fullest confidence in him, he says he would have no problems about sticking him in the team at any time.”
