<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/neymar/">Neymar</a>, once the crown jewel of Barcelona’s attack, is again at the center of transfer speculation. With the forward’s stint at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal plagued by injuries, rumors swirl about his next move. Barcelona’s Sporting Director,&nbsp;Deco, recently left the possibility of Neymar’s return to Camp Nou open, sparking renewed hope among Blaugrana fans.



Since Neymar joined Al-Hilal in 2023 following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, his stint in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/Saudi-Pro-League/">Saudi Pro League</a> has been far from ideal. Limited to just&nbsp;seven appearances&nbsp;due to a serious knee injury, the 32-year-old forward has faced criticism for his lack of impact.



As the Blue Waves reportedly prepare to exclude the veteran from their Saudi Pro League squad for the second half of the season, his availability is limited to the&nbsp;Asian Champions League. This has fueled speculation of a January exit, with Santos emerging as a likely destination for a&nbsp;short-term loan.



<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/barcelona/">Barcelona</a> has long been linked with a potential Neymar return, particularly in the summers following his 2017 departure to PSG. Despite this, financial fair play restrictions and the club’s limited resources make such a move highly improbable.



The&nbsp;Blaugrana&nbsp;have prioritized player renewals over high-profile signings. President&nbsp;Joan Laporta, known for his penchant for marquee acquisitions, would face significant obstacles in making a deal for the Brazilian viable.



<h2>Deco on Neymar: ‘Welcome at any club in the world’</h2>



Speaking to&nbsp;TNT Sports Brazil, Barcelona’s Sporting Director Deco praised Neymar’s enduring quality, while acknowledging the challenges of a potential return to the Catalan club.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20250124_WST_550458_messi-neymar-1200x675_d85127e2.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="messi neymar" class="wp-image-544704" srcset="https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/18085730/messi-neymar-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/18085730/messi-neymar-300x169.jpg 300w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/18085730/messi-neymar-768x432.jpg 768w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/18085730/messi-neymar-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/18085730/messi-neymar-740x416.jpg 740w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/18085730/messi-neymar-490x275.jpg 490w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/18085730/messi-neymar-250x140.jpg 250w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/18085730/messi-neymar.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



“Neymar’s return to Barça was always a long way off. Since he moved to Saudi Arabia, we knew he was a very expensive player, especially in terms of financial fair play,”&nbsp;Deco explained, referencing the Blaugrana’s financial constraints.



Despite this, Deco struck a hopeful note:&nbsp;“At his best, Neymar is one of the best players in the world. He still is and always will be. He is welcome at any club in the world. An operation regarding him can never be ruled out.”



However, Deco tempered expectations, suggesting that Neymar’s next chapter might unfold closer to home:&nbsp;“Right now, I see him returning to Brazil. The most important thing is that Neymar plays football again. That will bring joy to himself and to others. Honestly, I don’t know what he will do, but the most important thing is that he is happy.”



<h2>Santos beckons despite Inter Miami opportunity</h2>



Reports from Brazil strongly indicate that Neymar is on the verge of rejoining&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/santos/">Santos</a>, the club where his professional journey began. A short-term loan would allow Neymar to regain match fitness and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/when-will-neymar-make-his-debut-at-santos-everything-you-need-to-know-about-his-potential-return/">enjoy a homecoming celebrated by fans</a> of the Brazilian Serie B side.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20250124_WST_550458_Neymar-Santos-return-1200x670_458edeb9.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-498599" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/04/Neymar-Santos-return-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/04/Neymar-Santos-return-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/04/Neymar-Santos-return-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/04/Neymar-Santos-return.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



Neymar had previously expressed a desire to reconnect with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/inter-miami/">Inter Miami</a>, and Suarez has also expressed a desire to play with Neymar again, so it seemed like the most natural choice. However, Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano recently <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/can-neymar-reunite-with-lionel-messi-and-luis-suarez-in-mls-inter-miami-boss-javier-mascherano-provides-key-update/">talked down the likelihood</a> of the three players reuniting.

Neymar to return to Barcelona? Hansi Flick's side says 'welcome’ amid Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Santos interest

Neymar to return to Barcelona? Hansi Flick's side says 'welcome’ amid Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Santos interest - World Soccer Talk

destacadas

<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/deco.jpg"></a><div><figure class="image"><a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/deco.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-102638" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20140919_WST_116731_deco-600x399.webp&amp;width=600&amp;height=399" alt="deco" width="600" height="399" srcset="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/05/deco-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/05/deco-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/05/deco-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/05/deco.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></figure></div>
There’s little doubt who the star of Chelsea’s superb start to the season is. Diego Costa’s seven goals in his first ever four games for the Blues helped Mourinho’s side to maximum points from their opening four fixtures in the Premier League. A ruthless striker was the missing ingredient from Chelsea’s push towards the title last season with Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o all failing to consistently find the back of he net.
Jose Mourinho’s solution this summer has certainly been ruthless as he offloaded all the three misfiring forwards and replaced them with Costa, <a href="worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/09/11/signing-of-loic-remy-could-prove-to-be-a-shrewd-move-for-chelsea/">Loic Remy</a> and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba. It’s the Brazilian-turned-Spaniard that has caught the eye the most, but for how long will his rich vein of form last?
In the past few months, Costa’s hamstrings have been causing a bit of a bother resulting in a below par World Cup campaign. This week, the striker himself said, “There will be a moment when I cannot score – that is football.’’
Is this patch of form a sign of things to come or is it just a purple patch that will fail to last the season?
Here are five players from recent years who started their career with their Premier League clubs at a canter only for their performances to fizzle out into mediocrity.
Elano Blumer&nbsp;
Manchester City paid £8 million to get the Brazilian from Ukrainian side Shaktar Donetsk and his initial performances under Sven-Goran Eriksson were hugely encouraging. His versatility meant that he was utilised in a number of positions be it playing on wing, in the number ten role, in central midfield or even at times at full-back.
Throughout his two seasons in Manchester, Elano always started the first few matches on a great note but his form eventually tapered off. During his first season he had already found the net four times by mid-October and in the first two games of the following season he registered three goals.
The winter weather in England seemed to affect his game badly as Elano actually rediscovered some form in March during his first season. In total, he scored six Premier League goals from March onwards in both seasons. Interestingly, from the month of November till the end of February, he only found the net once whilst in England.
One must not forget that he previously played in much colder Ukraine so his sudden loss of form can’t really be attributed to climate.
A player that was regularly praised by his Swedish manager, Elano ended up being shipped out to Galatasary after 24 months in the sky blue shirt.
Deco
Considered one of the best midfielders in the world when joining Chelsea in 2008, the Brazil-born midfielder had already won all that there’s to be won in club football when he arrived on the British shores.
Two stunning goals in his first two games earned Deco the Player of the Month award for August 2008 as Chelsea scored five goals without reply. Unfortunately for the Blues, their season quickly took a slump mirroring the Portugese midfielder’s form. New coach Luiz Felipe Scolari got the sack in February and Deco only scored once more till the end of the season.
Deco looked worryingly off the pace in the Premier League and it’s a shame that one of the best passers of the game couldn’t reproduce his excellent early form.
Robinho
The Brazilian forward was to be the first of a long line of established world-class stars to grace the grass of the City of Manchester Stadium (later renamed Etihad Stadium) after Sheikh Mansour’s the take-over. After all, £33 million is no small price to pay for any player.
Robinho’s start in the Premier League was truly exceptional as he scored for fun all kinds of goals – free-kicks, tap-ins and drives from distance. He seemed to have it all as he netted a hat-trick against Stoke City a few weeks after his debut. However, after finding the net 12 times in his opening 19 games his form took a steep decline with only three moe goals following until the end of his first season in England.
His second campaign took another turn for the worst as the Santos hero only managed one goal (against the mighty Scunthorpe in the FA Cup) before being shipped out back to Brazil on loan.
Amr Zaki
The Egyptian striker’s rise to goalscoring fame was just as abrupt as his decline. When the then 25-year-old arrived at Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2008 on loan from El Zamalek he already had 23 goals to his name with his national side. However, not many people outside of Egypt had heard of the powerful striker.
His start to life in England was explosive. By mid-October he had scored eigh goals in just 10 games whilst playing in a very limited Wigan side under the guidance of Steve Bruce. Another three goals by the end of the 2008 calendar year followed adding fuel to transfer rumours linking Zaki to some of the top clubs in Europe.
Unfortunately, at the turn of the year things changed dramatically. 13 games in 2009 for Wigan produced zero goals. Furthermore, discipline problems also came into play as Bruce heavily criticized Zaki for returning late from international duty.
Wigan didn’t pursue their interest in Zaki after his one-year loan deal expired and a six-month loan with Hull City in 2010 also ended goalless.
Harry Kewell&nbsp;
The Australian winger had made a name for himself at Leeds for his technique and a wand of a left foot that more often than not produced the right pass in the final third. His controversial move to <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/09/04/daniel-agger-is-the-last-of-a-dying-breed/">Liverpool</a> started off at a canter as the Australian quickly bought in to Gerard Houllier’s playing style.
His first goal in a Reds shirt couldn’t have arrived in a better game as it came in the Merseyside derby against Everton in a 3-0 victory at Goodison Park. 11 goals in all competitions was a decent return for the winger with most Premier League strikes coming early in the season.
Unfortunately, Kewell would never reach similar heights with only five other goals being scored in the following three seasons. Admittedly, injuries hampered his progress but it’s hard to believe that the Anfield side had to fend off interest from European giants Barcelona and AC Milan to get their man.
At the end, Kewell’s expensive wages only brought eight Premier League assists in four years. His Leeds career and the first few games at Anfield had promised so much more!

5 English Premier League Players That Promised A Lot But Became Flops - World Soccer Talk

5 English Premier League Players That Promised A Lot But Became Flops

<div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20140530_WST_102605_10226910874_1c4c3e8d33_z.webp&amp;width=640&amp;height=426" alt="deco" width="640" height="426"></figure></div>
Nearly a year once Portuguese international Deco announced his retirement from soccer, he’s back in the spotlight with a vengeance. The former playmaker was cleared on Thursday by the Brazilian Court for Arbitration of Sport but he is now considering taking legal action against the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, as well as Brazilian-based Ladetec.
“I will speak to my lawyers and then decide what to do,” said Deco in a statement he released today. “If there was an error, both the WADA and Ladetec should be responsible.”
Last year, Deco was suspended after he took a drug test prior to the beginning of the Brasileirão tournament last season with Fluminense. In this test, he turned out positive for two illegal substances, one of them being the diuretic hydrocholorthiazide as well as tam by Ladetec. This is the same organization that lost their accreditation when tested by WADA in August of 2013.
Because of this issue, FIFA will be forced to send urine and blood tests collected from players participating in the World Cup to Switzerland due to the decertification.
The 36-year-old also mentioned that during this past year he lost plenty of opportunities due to being falsely accused.
The two-time UEFA Champions League winner was part of the Portuguese national team that lost the final of Euro 2004 in their home country and reached the semifinals of the World Cup back in 2006. He was regarded one of the best players among Portugal’s golden generation but his legacy has taken a hit due to the drug test results but he plans on doing whatever it takes to clear his name and become a positive figure in soccer again.

Deco Wins Court Case To Clear His Name From Doping Accusations  - World Soccer Talk

Deco Wins Court Case To Clear His Name From Doping Accusations

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This is not the worst team in the Premier League.&nbsp; It is the least valuable.&nbsp; This team would incite the masses with talent, with name recognition and with expense.&nbsp; They would then fail pathetically.&nbsp; This team could be composed entirely of Newcastle players, but we thought we’d include a few others to keep things interesting.
Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal): Doubled his salary this season.&nbsp; Halved his work rate and effectiveness.
Michael Owen (Newcastle): No longer an elite player, no leadership value, paid like someone with both.
Damien Duff (Newcastle): Expensive, complacent and ineffectual, Duff is a perfect emblem for Newcastle’s season.
Joey Barton (Newcastle): He makes £60,000 per week.&nbsp; No description needed.
Deco (Chelsea): Barcelona – better when he left.&nbsp; Chelsea – better when he stopped playing.
David Bentley (Tottenham): Once tipped to start for England, can’t even start for Tottenham.&nbsp; Spurs won eight out of eleven league games he did not play.
Gareth Bale (Tottenham): Spurs still have not won a Premier League match he has appeared in.
Micah Richards (Manchester City): Has regressed rather than progressed, a testament to Capello’s insight.
Gary Neville (Manchester United): Waste of a squad position.
Andrea Dossena (Liverpool): One reason Rafa Benitez should have to work for his transfer funds.
Craig Gordon (Sunderland): Sunderland allowed 113 goals the past two seasons.&nbsp; Not all Gordon’s fault, but you would expect more impact, given his transfer fee.

Least Valuable Premier League XI - World Soccer Talk

Least Valuable Premier League XI

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>After a long wait FC Barcelona have finally made official the signing of right-back Dani Alves from Sevilla. Alves, who can play on the right of defence or midfield, joined Sevilla from Bahia for less than one million euros in 2003 and was an outstanding player as they won back-to-back UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007. Sevilla also won a Copa Del Rey, a European Super Cup and a Spanish Super Cup in his five-and-a-half seasons with the club.
Alves is Barca’s fourth new signing of the close season, after midfielder Seydou Keita and defenders Martin Caceres and Gerard Pique, as they look to reconstruct the side under new coach Pep Guardiola. 
 
Barca coach Pep 			 	 Guardiola believes Alves could form a devastating partnership down the right flank with Barca’s Argentine winger Lionel Messi. Speaking to reporters at the press conference to unveil Alves, he said: “They are the two best players on the right flank and if they play well we’ll have the best right side. He’s a player that needs space. I hope to get the most out of him and we hope he feels good here.” <a href="http:\/\/101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/B6Z3DRGPGD8QX0F4">Video of the press conference</a> is available from 101greatgoals.com
Leaving the Nou Camp is Deco who has been sold to English Premier League side Chelsea. No fee has been confirmed but £8m (10m Euros) is the price being mentioned by many sources including the BBC. Deco, who had a contract with Barca until 2010, is said to have penned a new two-year deal at Stamford Bridge. Deco becomes the Blues’ first signing since Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was appointed manager earlier this month.
Deco won two league championships with the Catalan giants, and was part of the team that beat Arsenal in the Champions League final in Paris in 2006. He was deemed expendable after a series of injuries hampered him during this past season. Where Deco will play in a side already packed with central midfielders like Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Jon Mikel Obi and Claude Makelele is yet to be seen. The popular notion is that Deco’s arrival makes Lampard’s possible exit to Inter Milan even more likely. I’m not sold on that one. It’s possible Makelele will be moved on and Mikel Obi could be loaned out but beyond those two I don’t see anyone budging at the moment.
<div><figure class="image"><img src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20080704_WST_73966_jo-mcfc.webp&amp;width=500&amp;height=310" alt="jo-mcfc.jpg" align="right" hspace="15" vspace="15"></figure></div>Meanwhile, UEFA Cup hopefuls Manchester City have made a big dive into the transfer market by signing CSKA Moscow forward Jo for a fee that is being reported as £18 million which would be a club record. Man City has admitted he was a club record signing but the exact figure has not been released. The Brazilian, unveiled yesterday by Manchester City, won two Russian Super Cups, the Russian Premier League and the Russian Cup with the Russian club.
Jo, full name Joao Alves de Assis Silva, is a tall (6ft 3in) skilful left-footed striker who joined several Brazilian compatriots at CSKA in 2006 when he moved from Corinthians. Jo, 21 years old, had scored 44 goals in 77 matches in all competitions for the Russian club before his transfer.
This was not a Mark Hughes signing as the Citizen’s pursuit of the Brazilian began before Sven-Goran Eriksson was sacked. Valencia and other clubs had competed for Jo’s signature but the presence of fellow Brazilian Elano likely aided City’s ability to sign him.
Mark Hughes also talked about the possibility of Jo’s compatriot Ronaldinho moving to Eastlands.
“Basically that’s a process that is ongoing,” Hughes told reporters at the press conference. “I don’t think the process has slowed or accelerated. He’s a huge world star and these things, if they are going to happen, are likely to take a bit of time. In the discussions he’s had with the club I think he’s been very positive about the idea of coming to the club.”

Transfer Deals: Barcelona Sign Alves, Deco Off To Chelsea - World Soccer Talk

Transfer Deals: Barcelona Sign Alves, Deco Off To Chelsea

So here we go, we’ve had 12 days of blood and thunder football, sublime skills, shock results, new stars and the retirement of legends. Tonight sees the first of the Quarter Finals and what a way to start this section of the competition. There is no doubting over the last 10 years, Portugal’s stock has risen immensly&nbsp;and this tournament sees the team probably have their best chance of winning a major tournament. Whilst I appreciate they were the host nation last time round, sometimes the weight of expectation from your countrymen can&nbsp;bow down&nbsp;on a side and the pressure can disrupt the best of players.
<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>There will be no excuses for Scolari’s men tonight: They know this game is there for the taking and a potential and probably semi-final meeting with the crafty Croatians. On paper, Portugal should rip Germany to pieces, be far too canny, too sly and too much&nbsp;pace for Germany to cope with. Yet, I’ve this nagging feeling borne out of the fact that I’ve seen this type of situation too many times with Germany. They always survive somehow; always get the last minute winner, the&nbsp;last minute goal line clearance, always the deflection bounces their way. Perhaps that’s down to watching them beat England time after time until 2000. Even in the Croatia game, when they were outplayed for long periods of the match, I still expected them to snatch a late equaliser. Surely it can’t happen again? Honestly, Portugal will either win this game by 3 or 4 or lose 1-0. It’s that type of game for me.
We’ve 4 wonderful quarter finals to look forward to, the football purist would love to see Portugal, Croatia, Holland and Spain go through. How would we feel on Monday morning if we were looking at Turkey, Germany, Italy and Russia as semi-finalists? I wouldn’t mind Turkey and Russia, both sides have really impressed me but my first 4 would conjure up two of the best semi final line ups the Euro’s have ever seen. Italy and Germany have been fortunate, very fortunate but that’s their football history and the tenacity that they show in international football. You can never write them off.
Scolari will be picking a full strength side tonight, full of flair and ability. Germany have fitness doubts over Frings and Podolski and manager Joachim Low banished to the stands for this game. Is this the game that Portugal finally come of age and dismantle one of the old guard of European giants? I think they will, but I’m still going to have that nagging doubt right to the final whistle but then again I thought that during USA 94 when Hristo Stoichkov destroyed them in a wonderful win for Bulgaria. The nagging will persisit&nbsp;though,&nbsp;unless of course the Portuguese go 3 up before half time, then I’ll only be slightly concerned until the final whistle. &nbsp;Portugal to win 3-1

Euro 2008 Portugal v Germany Quarter Final Preview - World Soccer Talk

Euro 2008 Portugal v Germany Quarter Final Preview

With all <a href="http:\/\/www.epltalk.com/tag/euro-2008/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Euro 2008 coverage</a> over at our sister site <a href="http:\/\/www.epltalk.com/tag/euro-2008/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EPL Talk</a>, I’ve decided to focus on club football though I am still actively watching the tournament games. I decided to watch the matches as a fan and leave the punditry to others for that particular competition. There is an ocean of information and opinion being produced about Euro 2008 and I didn’t feel I had anything drastically new to add.
So, focusing on club football, I decided to examine which players are being touted as the most likely to move this summer and where they might end up. For your entertainment (feel free to debate in the comments section), I examine the possible fate of 10 players whoe names you’ll be hearing a lot of this summer.
<ol>
<li>Mallorca’s Daniel Guiza is sure to move to another La Liga club after firing in 27 goals for his club this season. Guiza edged Sevilla’s Brazilian Luis Fabiano for the Pichichi (top scorer) crown with his 27 goals. Guiza scored his 10th goal in his last seven matches as Real Mallorca defeated Real Zaragoza 3-2 on Sunday although it was not enough to secure a place in Europe with Racing Santander holding onto the final UEFA Cup berth. Now that he has his wild lifestyle seemingly under control, he’s sure to want to test himself with a team that is either in the UEFA Cup or Champions league and while I don’t see him landing at Real Madrid, Barcelona are in a major rebuilding and could use a strong goal scorer. He could also end up with Sevilla, especially should Luis Fabiano be sold during the summer. Arsenal has also reportedly had some interest in this promising forward.</li>
<li>Lyon striker Karim Benzema is a name that has been linked to many clubs though he is being a bit coy over his future. Manchester United are known to be interested but United’s chances of signing him look distant after the Lyon forward stated his long-term preference for Real Madrid. “I like Real Madrid,” he said, “but I think I am too young to sign for a club like that.” It’s quite possible that Benzema could stay on at Lyon for another season as he is only 20 and Lyon are guaranteed to play Champions League football again next year. 
<div><figure class="image"></figure></div></li>
<li>Andrei Arshavin, playmaker for UEFA Cup winners Zenit St. Petersburg, has attracted a lot of attention from top clubs around Europe. Everton and Schalke are the names most often mentioned. Schalke seems more likely as their current kit sponsor, Russian oil giant Gazprom, also are majority owners of Zenit St. Petersburg. Arshavin would give Schalke a major boost as they rebuild and look to qualify for next season’s Champions League group stage. They enter the competition at the final round of qualifying and should be able to make it to the group stage.</li>
<li>Valencia’s disappointing mid-table finish and their financial problems (they are trying to fund a new stadium) mean that we could see a fire sale of sorts at the Mestalla this summer. Star striker David Villa has been on the radar of many big-spending clubs for a couple of seasons now. Both Barcelona and Liverpool are thought to be admirers of Villa but with Barcelona already spending a bundle on 4-5 new faces and Liverpool on a tight budget, I wouldn’t count either of them in for this particular move. He could end up with Arsenal as Arsene Wenger needs to bolster his squad and is at the Euro 2008 tournament to look over potential transfer targets. Villa would fit perfectly into the flowing, high-pace style that Arsenal are so capable of producing.</li>
<li>The rumours linking Xabi Alonso to Juventus had been persistant enough to make me think there is something in the works. Real Madrid and Barcelona were both reported to be interested in bring the former Real Sociedad star back to La Liga, but Juventus have since emerged as the apparent favourites to snare the 26-year-old midfield marshall. While nothing is confirmed, it is reported that a fee of 12.5 – 16m will be enough to see Alonso leave Anfield. Alonso has said he will not discuss his club future while he is playing for Spain in the Euro 2008 tournament. 
<div><figure class="image"><img src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20080612_WST_74091_moutinho.webp&amp;width=500&amp;height=310" alt="moutinho.jpg" hspace="15" vspace="15"></figure></div></li>
<li>Sporting Lisbon playmaker João Moutinho has already had a turn in the spotlight at Euro 2008 and will have seen his stock rise. Interest in Moutinho is known to be widespread but I don’t see a deal happening before June 15th. That’s the date that the 25 million Euro release clause attached to his contract reportedly expires, after which clubs will be able to negotiate a price for him that they hope will be lower. However, if he continues to play like he did against Turkey then the price is likely to go up, especially if big spenders like Chelsea are in the mix of suitors.</li>
<li>Deco. The 30-year-old Portugese midfielder had a disappointing season at Camp Nou and will definitely leave the club that much we know. The question had been where would he end up. I would say that with Jose Mourinho now coaching Inter Milan, it would not be shocking to see Deco link up with his former Porto boss.</li>
<li>Werder Bremen’s playmaker Diego has been talked about as a target for Chelsea and Barcelona. Diego’s Bundesliga goal return stands at 26 in 60 matches which is pretty decent for a player who by his own admission is more of a creator than a finisher. With his dribbling, vision and razor-sharp passing, he would be a good fit in any midfield but I don’t know that Barcelona need some like that as they already have Xavi and Iniesta. Werder Bremen chairman Jurgen Born has said that Diego will only leave “over his dead body” but I suspect that if someone comes in with the right dollar figure his stance will ease up. Where could he go? Juventus are in serious need of a playmaking replacement for the aging Pavel Nedved and their return to Champions League could see some cash being splashed around.</li>
<li>Ronaldinho. Once thought to be an untouchable at Barcelona, the Brazilian maestro has struggled through the past two campaigns with poor fitness and form. He has been linked to AC Milan and Manchester City. Of those two, I’d have to think that AC Milan would be the more likely destination. A chance to link up in the midfield with Kaka may be too tempting for Ronaldinho to pass up.</li>
<li>Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who has been linked to Manchester United and well as Real Madrid and others, is the Ajax goal machine who has been on “the verge of moving” for two years now. Is this his summer to move? Ajax are not in the Champions League next season and Huntelaar will be keen to test himself on that stage. Real looks like they would have a good chance of signing him after he admitted that he would jump at the chance to join Real Madrid after hearing a lot about the club from his Dutch national teammates Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder — all current Real Madrid stars. Real’s president Ramón Calderón has downplayed the rumours, saying that there are very few moves in the works for this summer. I think Real would be a good fit, at least in terms of atmospere, for Huntelaar. The presence of several familiar faces would make settling in much easier.</li>
</ol>

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Deco"

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