Barcelona's Bojan to Roma & five Italian transfers to watch out for over the coming week
ANALYSIS
By Kris Voakes
They say the league table doesn't lie. Therefore, for those teams that are unhappy with their final position in Serie A, the summer transfer window is the ideal time to redress the balance, to address the team's needs, to sign the missing link. It's a period for fantasy football, for dream XIs and misty-eyed visions of what might be next season, but those in charge must keep in touch with reality, too. Whether it's shopping at bargain basement or in elite boutiques, the key is to improve and evolve - and to go after bigger objectives than before.
June, though, is nearly over and while Juventus and AC Milan have both made a number of early moves, many teams, including world champions Inter, have yet to recruit a single star for the next campaign.
That, however, could all change this week. With speculation spiraling and rumors rising, Goal.com looks at the five signings that could advance towards completion within the next seven days.
By Kris Voakes
They say the league table doesn't lie. Therefore, for those teams that are unhappy with their final position in Serie A, the summer transfer window is the ideal time to redress the balance, to address the team's needs, to sign the missing link. It's a period for fantasy football, for dream XIs and misty-eyed visions of what might be next season, but those in charge must keep in touch with reality, too. Whether it's shopping at bargain basement or in elite boutiques, the key is to improve and evolve - and to go after bigger objectives than before.
June, though, is nearly over and while Juventus and AC Milan have both made a number of early moves, many teams, including world champions Inter, have yet to recruit a single star for the next campaign.
That, however, could all change this week. With speculation spiraling and rumors rising, Goal.com looks at the five signings that could advance towards completion within the next seven days.
| BOJAN KRKIC | Barcelona kwenda Roma |
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The player himself has shown an aversion to a move away from the European champions but it would appear as though he has finally been persuaded to come to terms with the fact he has no future in Catalunya. With new Roma boss Luis Enrique having set the club on the striker’s trail almost from the moment he arrived at Trigoria, the one thing Bojan can’t claim is that he is unwanted.
Sporting director Walter Sabatini expressed last week that a deal has been done with Barca, and with Bojan now freed of international commitments after winning the European U21 Championship with Spain, an agreement with the player shouldn’t be far away.
| GOKHAN INLER | Udinese kwenda Napoli |
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Having appeared to be destined for Napoli for long periods of last season, it seemed that Juventus may be the Swiss international’s destination after his agent Dino Lamberti announced that he had agreed terms with the Turin club. But with Juve failing to stump up the €15 million asking price, it was the southern side who satisfied Udinese’s demands. With Inler having gone on holiday to consider his situation, he left it to Lamberti to announce last week that the player had “never thought about anything else” except a move to Naples.
The Swiss himself is due back from his break at the weekend, whereupon strides should be made towards a deal being struck between all parties.
| JONATHAN | Santos kwenda Inter Milan |
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Much has been said about the future of Inter full-back Maicon over the past 12 months since the then-European champions blocked his potential move to Real Madrid, but it finally looks as though the Pinetina side are on the verge of signing a successor. There was even some talk in Italy over the weekend that Jonathan had agreed a deal, but his agent Jeiki Tadic denied the claims, stressing: “We are still in negotiations. We will have news next week.”
His words suggest it could be days rather than weeks before Jonathan is holding the Nerazzurri shirt and shaking hands with new Inter boss Gian Piero Gasperini.
| STEPHAN LICHTSTEINER | Lazio kwenda Juventus |
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In what must be one of the most long-winded formalities seen on the Italian transfer market for quite some time, Lichtsteiner has seemed headed for Juventus for an eternity, but still there has been no meeting of pen and paper. The Swiss full-back’s agent, Federico Pastorello, said on Thursday that his man would be a Bianconero by the weekend, and while that never came to pass it should all be agreed in the next seven days.
There is a belief that a late moving of the goalposts on the asking price by Lazio president Claudio Lotito may be what has held up the transfer, but with player and buying club in agreement this one seems just a matter of time.
| MAARTEN STEKELENBURG | Ajax kwenda Roma |
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Roma have made no secret of its need for greater options in goal, with Gianluigi Buffon reportedly its original target. Next on its list was Bologna’s Emiliano Viviano, but a move to the capital has been complicated by the co-ownership blunder at the weekend which ended with the shot-stopper moving to rivals Inter.
Stekelenburg is a much more attainable commodity as things stand having built up an excellent reputation in 10 years at Ajax, and his agent Rob Jansen having said on numerous occasions that the Italian capital is the 28-year-old’s favoured destination.
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