Transfer Rumours/Contract Extensions

[Carlo Romano]

Guys, everyone here by now knows I'm one of the ones who thinks Mutu is tailor made for our gameplan. I too questioned whether we could afford his salary and it was pointed out that even with our wage cap he will earn more with us than with La Viola and let's not forget just how big the monetary issue could be here with the pending civil action against him by Chelsea unless it is overturned. In the meantime let's see if il nostro Capitan' with his article calling Mutu to Roma has any influence!

Our lack of proper defending cost us big time last season...I did a match report crediting Juventus for example for not giving up against us in Roma but the fact of the matter was that having taken a 2 goal lead we gave the game away as much as anything else. We should have held on to beat Inter also, but I don't want to dredge through the past...

European action will certainly put the competition for the top 7 places on a more even level this season and I say 7 rather than 4 because Milan ought to have a good run in la Coppa Uefa which will keep them occupied unless they dismiss it on the altar of finishing inside the top 2 in the league. Having strengthened their squads, I can see Napoli and Palermo as being the only ones to push their way past Udi and Samp. They may even for a time get into the top 4 but I can't see them finishing the coming season there.

Unless we buy a complete dummy as a new front man in this mercato then we ought to indeed be able to stay inside the top 4 this season! So, no change...

[tonykart]

Roma Ready €15m Bid For The Beast

AS Roma are ready to table a €15m bid for Real Madrid forward Juilo Baptista, according to Marca.

The Giallorossi are well known to be in the market for a top class forward, and have money to spend following the €13m sale of Amantino Mancini to Inter last week.

The primary target remains Fiorentina’s Adrian Mutu, but despite the Romanian’s apparent willingness to join, it nevertheless remains a difficult task to sign the player.

A more realistic option is Real Madrid’s Julio Baptista, and Marca claims that Roma are ready to table a €15m bid for the player nicknamed ‘The Beast’.

The Brazilian seems almost certain to leave the Spanish champions this summer following a frustrating 2007/08 season. The 26-year-old spent large chunks of the campaign on the bench, and indeed failed to start a Liga match after March.

Baptista is said to be desperate to join Roma, and for this very reason he rejective a lucrative offer to join Turkish outfit Galatasaray last week.

The forward has won 41 caps for the Brazil national team, scoring 10 goals.

[Carlo Romano]

We'll have to wait and see on that one, Tony...with all these stories of hoping to get Il Bestione as a last minute loan doing the rounds! He and Mutu though...tasty!

IF ONLY....

[RomaShield27]

DALLA FRANCIA INSISTONO: GIULY A UN PASSO DAL PSG
http://romanews.eu – pubblicata martedì 15 luglio 2008

I quotidiani francesi insistono, Ludovic Giuly è quasi un giocatore del Paris Saint Germain. Secondo quanto riportato da L'Equipe, l'affare è ad un passo dal concludersi. Il giocatore della Roma sabato ha pranzato con Charles Villeneuve, presidente del club parigino, e avrebbe trovato un accordo per un contratto biennale. L'unico problema sarebbe rappresentato dalla Roma, che non sembra intenzionata a privarsi del trentaduenne di Lione. Il Psg, scrive L'Equipe, a breve formulerà un'offerta ufficiale alla società giallorossa di circa 2 milioni di euro.

Reports from France are saying that Giuly is close to being a PSG player, all that is left is for them to strike a deal with Roma, and are willing to offer us around €2m.

[g.smiley]

Holy shit 2 million? Sweet.

[RomaShield27]

MIJATOVIC: ´BAPTISTA-ROMA? SE ARRIVASSE UN´OFFERTA, PRONTI A TRATTARE´
http://romanews.eu – pubblicata giovedì 17 luglio 2008

Il contatto tra la Roma e il Real Madrid per Baptista c'è stato. O quantomeno ci sarà. La conferma arriva dal direttore sportivo delle merengues, Pedrag Mijatovic: "Se la Roma ci farà un'offerta per Baptista siamo pronti a prenderla in considerazione". Raggiunto al cellulare, l'ex attaccante del Real, ha confessato al Corriere dello Sport che il club di Calderon non si opporrà ad un'eventuale partenza del brasiliano: "Noi di Baptista siamo contenti - ha ammesso Mijatovic - ma devo anche aggiungere che i nostri rapporti con la Roma sono eccellenti. E se Baptista vorrà andare, lo lasceremo partire". Alla stampa spagnola Mijatovic avrebbe confermato un appuntamento, previsto domani, con un emissario della società di Trigoria: Pradè spera di ottenere il centrocampista in prestito, magari oneroso, con un riscatto obbligatorio, fissato intorno ai 10 milioni. Ci sarà da discuterne.

Mijatovic says Madrid are willing to consider an offer from Roma for Baptista, although we have not officially made on yet, but may make a move in the coming days. And, surprise surprise, Prade will more than likely be looking at taking him on loan with an option to buy in the region of €10m. Not too shabby, but why the feck can't we just buy him outright and stop messing around with these loans...

[maro]

[RomaShield27]

"Disingenuous"? I'm not ashamed to admit I had to Dictionary.com that bad boy. I don't think I've been crying about the loss of some of our younger players as much as others have, although I'm certainly not happy about losing out on young Freddi to a lower-league side. I agree with most of what your sayin, Maro, some of these loans-with-options-to-buy are good deals for clubs like us who have not got the financial muscle of some of our piers, but just for once I'd wish we'd just make a deal straight up and don't mess around on this one. If Baptista is to be our 'big' summer signing then why not? Of course, if we're lookin to sign him on loan because he is not our big summer signing and Prade has someone else in mind too then happy feckin days, but I doubt thats the case, so why not just buy Baptista outright? €12M is a not a bad price for him, if accurate.

[maro]

Yeah, sorry - that comment about the youngsters was directed at you least of all. I should have thought the point is that if we can get a loan deal, then Baptista doesn't need to be the big signing of the summer. If we can hold onto our cash, we'd still be in a position to move for Mutu, say, or Di Natale, or Rosina, or whoever. If we spend big on Baptista, then perhaps we'd still have enough left for Iaquinta or someone, but I should think we'd be more likely to be looking at a loan deal - probably for one of the strikers deemed surplus to requirements at the Milan clubs. It will be interesting to see what happens with Baptista, because if Real are prepared to play chicken with us, it could get a bit sticky (as it were). For I suspect we'd still think that we can hang on until closer to the end of August and then get this loan-to-buy deal done; on the other hand, it's hard to believe Spags wouldn't quite like to have any new additions with him for as much of the pre-season as possible. I suppose the first few weeks of preseason are, really, all about team spirit and fitness, so it's not completely pressing, but once the season starts to get closer, it'd be nice to be able to use a few friendlies to integrate new buys into the system and to try them out in different roles. I suspect Prade' will be testing just how good our good relations with Real are. They've been burnt once with Baptista at Arsenal, though that ended up being a kind of reciprocal burning since they did the same to Reyes in the end. If Real are pretty sure Baptista will have a good season and we'll want to sign him in the end, then I should think it won't matter all that much to them when they get the cash whereas it could matter an awful lot to us at the moment.

[Carlo Romano]

Shield, it looks like the will he/won't he situation with Ludo Giuly may just have finally reached a definite point. I didn't want to comment on your article of a couple of days ago because this "going home to France" scenario has been dragging on for some time.

http://www.goal.com/en-us/Articolo.aspx ... oId=780274

maro, I too would prefer us to try to get Baptista on loan towards the end of the market as I said in the Den and keep our money for someone who will guarantee us more up front thrust. A pity that unless there is one hell of a U turn it won't be Mutu, Iaquinta, or Di Natale! As Giuly now seems finally decided on a move then perhaps the time is right to approach Rosina.

[Italiamia]

Giuly is gone. Baptista wants to come, but it's all about the numbers now. Transfer fee + wages.

[Carlo Romano]

I'm having a good wonder about this, guys!

maro's option...we risk losing Baptista if we leave looking for a loan deal off to the last minute, but I'm tempted into his line of thinking because I'd like to see us use our lump sum either on someone up front or someone like Rosina for wide right and frankly, with Giuly gone, Rosina sounds sweeter than ever, especially as we could very likely pick up Crespo gratis! With Madrid, money is indeed not so important as to us and in fact a loan/buy deal soon for Baptista with perhaps another player involved might suit Los Merengues better in the future!

Ita & Shield seem to favour making an ASAP situation of Baptista being our big signing of the summer and on the grounds we could lose him by not moving quickly, it's hard to argue the point.

So...is it looking like this for our attack with a loan deal on Il Bestione and a Bosman on Crespo? Or do we dare imagine something better to come between now and the end of August?


my option:

Taddei/Rosina - Perrotta/Totti - Vučinić

---------------------Crespo----------------


maro's option: not unlike mine and I think Steve's also?


Ita's & Shield's option:

Taddei/unknown - Perrotta/Baptista - Vučinić

------------------Baptista/Totti/Montella


I have to say I don't see the cream of Europe fearing any of those proposed lineups in the CL but I guess if it keeps us in the domestic top 4 then they are at least believable.

[maro]

Carlo, I should say that the cream of Europe would fear any of those line-ups. I should say they'd fear this one:

Maro - Italiamia - Glad
Totti

And this one, too:

A jacket potato - a pint of Guinness - a slice of pecorino
his Tottiness

[stefano]

What is more frightening Totti or Glad is is stained Fila track suit?

[Carlo Romano]

Point taken...

I'll go one better! Me with a raging hard on eying the females in la curva, and full of 170% proof home made Grappa as RMF...my buddy Bill who I really hope will come here in the center, Steve as RMF, and yourself, Glad, Ita and Shield as defence, with Tony and Ahmed doing the DDR-Aquilani double act and Angela in goal I'd say we'd strike something into others. Quite what I'm not sure but we'd certainly entertain...as Zeman used to say!

[maro]

I suppose we should find a spot for Oily somewhere in the midfield. He can be our regista - word on the street has it that he's quite a good ball player, though his first touch isn't always the best. Actually, come to think of it, perhaps he should be in goal - apparently he likes playing in 'net(s).

[maro]

I'm not sure one really does a slice of pecorino, anyway. A wedge, maybe. A wedge-xeno of pecorino on the wing, showing his Mido's touch.

[stefano]

Something needs to happen in the market before you two melt down completely.

[Carlo Romano]

maro, I knew Oily would have to figure in your plans somewhere!

But no, Angela should really be our goalie...the leather bikini, fishnets and whip are a must!

The only name I'm missing on is the double play on mido!

Steve, it's amazing what work the devil finds for idle hands...

[maro]

Which two? Carlo and Wedge-the-pecorino-Xeno? That could be sticky. Still, I've no doubt that were Wedge on the wing for us he'd take none of that holier-than-thou shit from any of the Swiss players.