Transfer Talk: Irish internationals on the move and Jose to splash the cash

Irish internationals on the move, Chelsea linked to the good and the bad and RVP with the most controversial quote of the summer thus far.

By Declan Whooley

A lot of strikers are being touted as being on the move and just as we expected, Jose Mourinho is being linked to more than a handful of them. The Stamford Bridge faithful might be a little underwhelmed to see that The Star says that Eden Dzeko is his number one target. Even the most optimistic City fan might be a little sceptical of that one, though The Telegraph think that a £20 million move for Andre Schürrle is pretty much a done deal. We know which player we’d prefer.

Another possible mover and shaker could be Stevan Jovetic, the long-term Arsenal target. The Special One has been keeping tabs according The Times, and he would no doubt love to get one up on Arsene Wenger before the season even starts.

One player on the way out could be the club captain. The Telegraph think that John Terry could be tempted by a big-money move to Monaco to end his career at the French club. £150,000-a-week tax free could be just the incentive needed.

Staying in the capital, Spurs are looking to drop more than a few notes to strengthen their strikeforce, a noted area of weakness last season for AVB. The Sun suggest a £9 million move for former Birmingham striker Christian Benitez.

Brum fans may be a little taken aback by the figure, considering Chucho scored a whopping three league goals in 30 games during 2009/10, while The Daily Mail think that Daniel Levy is ready to break the transfer record to prise Roberto Soldado off Valencia’s hands.

A man in serious demand

The club too are said to be monitoring Christian Benteke. Well along with any club worth its salt with the necessary financial clout. The Star put Atletico Madrid as favourites to land the prolific frontman with a bid of £24 million.

Paul Lambert may be about to lose his most valuable asset, but one replacement could be Ivelin Popov from Kuban Krasnodar in Russia. The Daily Mail think a move for the Bulgarian international is dependent on the exit of Benteke while The Sun says the club are also trying to tempt Montpellier with a £12.5 million bid for midfielder Younes Belhanda.

Robin Van Persie has come out with one of the most sensational quotes of the summer. The Dutch international believes Man. Utd can win trophies with Fergie at the helm. We’ll repeat that again, he actually thinks United will still be in a position to challenge for honours without their most successful manager in history. Thanks to The Star for that gem.

Elsewhere at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney will stay if he is played upfront and Patrice Evra could be on his way to Monaco (The Daily Mirror) while Leighton Baines is on his way according to many of the redtops, with a figure of £10 million the general consensus. Ronaldo is being lined up with a sensational move back to Old Trafford (The Sun). This has to be a done deal, he did put his Madrid house up for sale after all yesterday.

Will the full-back follow David Moyes to Old Trafford?

Irish internationals James McCarthy and Aiden McGeady could be on the move this summer. McCarthy could follow Roberto Martinez, along with team-mate Callum McManaman, to Goodison Park “if the fee is right”, while McGeady says he wouldn’t mind a move to the Premier League in today’s Mirror. Neither would if any club is listening.

Andy Carroll is demanding £100,000 a week from West Ham (do Liverpool fans reckon he is worth that?), while Luis Suarez is again being linked with Bayern Munich. The Sun suggest that Arjen Robben could be offered as part of the deal.

Hull manager Steve Bruce is being linked with Wigan in a number of places this morning. The Sun think he is wanted by Dave Whelan to take charge for the second time, while The Star think that he is looking to buy Maynor Figueroa. The second option would seem far likelier to us.