The closure of the transfer window in the Britain marks the end of the close- season trading, with clubs all over the continent tying up last-minute deals to ensure their teams have fresh talent for the coming campaign.
Weeks of wrangling over contracts and transfer fees need to be brought to a close by 1600 GMT today, to fall within the allocated time for swaps to occur. The close season has already seen the world record transfer fee for a footballer smashed after Real Madrid paid $130 million to Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo. So with big money changing hands, are there clubs who still have the cash to spend at this late stage Who should your club sign Last season Manchester United signed Bulgaria’s Dimitar Berbatov in the dying minutes – could the remaining hours of the transfer window bring the same this time around Read below to get the latest speculation and sealed deals (All times in GMT): Confirmed deadline-day transfers: Portsmouth agree season loan for Benfica midfielder Hassan Yebda. Press rumors: 0930: French newspaperL’Equipe, have some interesting quotes from Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery, who to date has been one of the most wanted footballers in Europe. “It’s the first time that I haven’t really felt close to a coach. There’s not much feeling between us at all,” he said about new boss Louis van Gaal. Could this tempt a big club to spend some big money on the Frenchman 0900: Tottenham Hotspur are on the brink of signing Niko Kranjcar from Portsmouth as the Spurs manager looks to plunder his former club. Redknapp is also interested in England goalkeeper David James who will cost $16 million to prize from the side known as Pompey. The Daily Telegraph. 0830: After selling Joleon Lescott to Manchester City recently for a reported $39 million, Everton have some money to play with. Atletico Madrid’s Johnny Heitinga only needs to agree personal terms to complete a $8 million move. The Mirror. Elsewhere it looks like Tottenham’s David Bentley could be reunited with former manager Mark Hughes in a switch to Manchester City. The Mirror. It’s thought the England midfielder will cost $16 million. The sky blues of Manchester have been the English Premier League’s biggest spenders in the close season and could be keen to recoup some of that money. Rumors are that Portsmouth are keen to resign Zimbabwe striker Benjani from City, with Blackburn Rovers and Hull City also interested. The Sun.
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0800: Defender Matthew Upson could be on his way from West Ham United – with the east London club keen to do business with offers in the region of $25 million. The Daily Mail. Meanwhile, Egypt and former Wigan Athletic striker Amr Zaki could be finding a new home in the Premier League in a reported $5 million move. The Independent.
