Transfer Talk: Arsenal look to ditch disastrous goalkeeper Fabianski, while Pato rejects Chelsea
LAST UPDATED 2:48 PM, MAY 12, 2010
Arsenal and Juventus have all but reached agreement on Gianluigi Buffon according to Italian daily Tuttosport. The goalkeeping legend, 32 but still in his prime as far as shotstopping is concerned, has been linked with a move to the Premier League for several weeks, and it now appears certain that the Emirates is the destination for the player who has won 100 caps for Italy.
Tuttosport says Arsenal are set to seal the deal any time now for €25m and end Buffon's nine-year stint in Turin. The agreement means that Lukasz 'the Fumbler' Fabianski is unlikely to appear again in an Arsenal shirt, happy news for the thousands of Arsenal fans still in therapy as a result of Fabianski's antics this season. If the Daily Mail is to be trusted then it appears likely that Buffon will be joined in the dressing room next season by Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta. The paper says that Arsene Wenger is a fan of the 28-year-old Spaniard, who has been at Goodison Park since 2005, but that he won't come cheap. Arteta's contract with Everton has another year to run and he's highly regarded on Merseyside so if Arsenal want their man they'll have to dig deep into their funds.
Another player who could arrive at the Emirates this summer is Lyon's defensive midfielder Jeremy Toulalan. The 26-year-old has been at the heart of his club's impressive Champions League run this season, but is said to be keen to test himself in the Premier League.
Toulalan has been included in the French World Cup squad, unlike Patrick Vieira in who's footsteps he could be following in his club career as well as internationally. According to caughtoffside.com the player would cost Wenger £14m.
Chelsea might be on the brink of a historic league and cup double but things aren't going quite so well in the transfer market. AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato has denied he wants to move to Stamford Bridge in an interview with Italian rag Corriere dello Sport. "I want to remain at AC Milan and win everything with them," said the 20-year-old Brazilian, who scored 14 goals in 28 matches before injury laid him low in March.
And the Times reports that Manchester City is about to pinch a pair of players from under Chelsea's nose, despite the fact the best the Sky Blues can offer next season is the Europa League. According to the paper City are confident of securing the services of Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik and Mario Balotelli, the temperamental Inter Milan striker.
City boss Roberto Mancini has asked the board to give him the funds to buy the two players as the club looks to regroup after a disappointing season in which they missed out on Champions League qualification. Hamsik, a 22-year-old Slovakian, has been courted by Chelsea for several months but the Times says it seems likely he'll spurn the champions in favour for City.
Finally, the Mirror reports that Liverpool is having a summer clearout as they look to put a disastrous season behind them. And one of the first to go says the paper will be Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who's been top of the underachieving list since arriving from Roma last summer in a deal that cost the Reds £20m.
Fiorentina are reportedly thinking of making a bid for the player but only one in the region of £7m, which means Liverpool would make a loss of £13m on the player who started just 12 games this season. Others said to be on their way out of Anfield are Dutchman Ryan Babel and French striker David Ngog.
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