SOCCER:EVERTON HAVE joined the queue of clubs interested in providing Craig Bellamy with an escape from Manchester City, despite their inability to match the Wales international's salary at Eastlands.
David Moyes, the Everton manager, has no money available to add to his squad this summer unless he receives and accepts a significant offer for Steven Pienaar, who is in the final year of his contract at Goodison Park, or Yakubu Ayegbeni, who has been the subject of a rejected €7.3 million bid from West Ham United. The Goodison futures of Joseph Yobo and James Vaughan are also in doubt ahead of the transfer deadline.
Nevertheless Moyes is keen to improve the Everton attack and right midfield this month and has made his interest known to Bellamy, who has been strongly linked with a loan move to the Championship with Cardiff City.
The 31-year-old has in effect been made persona non grata at City after clashing with manager Roberto Mancini and senior employers and was banned from the training ground at the weekend, although there were reports last night Bellamy would return to training with City today.
The forward returned home to Cardiff on Friday, having initially been ordered to train with the reserves before the punishment for questioning Mancini’s authority increased.
Stephen Ireland, another player City are keen to release and whose proposed move to Aston Villa has stalled over a pay-off, is believed to now be training with the club’s reserve team.
Moyes has tried to sign Bellamy on several occasions but the striker would have to accept a significant reduction in his €116,000-a-week City contract for Everton to finance a deal – even after selling Pienaar or Yakubu – and City’s desire for a transfer fee, rather than a loan deal, is also a problem for the Goodison club.
City have so far refused to countenance a deal with Tottenham for Bellamy on the basis they are a rival for Champions League qualification this season, a theory that could also apply to Moyes’s team.
Then there is Bellamy’s desire to stay in the north-west should he leave City, having made clear his desire to play for Cardiff City before the end of his career. The Eastlands club insist there is no offer for Bellamy yet.
Mario Balotelli could make his first appearance for City since his €27 million transfer from Internazionale against Timisoara in the Europa League play-off first leg on Thursday.
The Italy international was not registered in time for the Premier League opener at Tottenham on Saturday and was expected to miss the tie against the Romanians. However, if City can register the striker with the FA and Uefa before midnight tomorrow, Balotelli will be free to face Timisoara.
Meanwhile, City have been warned they will have to complete the signing of James Milner by tomorrow or face the prospect of the England international remaining at Aston Villa for the rest of the season. Talks between the clubs are ongoing but Milner has become so exasperated with the speed at which negotiations are being conducted he is no longer willing to continue playing with his future shrouded in doubt.
City have been told unless they can reach an agreement with Villa within the next 24 hours, Milner will remain in the Midlands. Milner’s frustration lies with City and he has started to question just how badly the club want to sign him.
The transfer has been held up at City’s end because of Ireland’s settlement demands – the midfielder has a little under four years remaining on his contract and has asked for a €2.5 million pay-off – but Milner feels he is being placed in an unfair position by being asked to keep waiting until that situation. The 24-year-old, who was outstanding for Villa against West Ham United on Saturday when he scored the third goal in a 3-0 win, believes he needs to set a deadline to bring matters to a head.
If there is no breakthrough today he will board the plane to Austria with the rest of the Villa squad tomorrow morning for their Europa League play-off first leg against Rapid Vienna on Thursday.Milner is comfortable with that situation and has brought his passport into the club in preparation to travel and play.
If he features against Rapid Vienna, he would be cup-tied and could potentially be unavailable for 17 matches for City in the Europa League should they reach the final of the competition.
Both clubs’ preference is for Ireland to form part of any deal as a makeweight but, should that not be possible, City had previously indicated they were willing to do a straight cash deal, valuing Milner at about €32 million.
GuardianService
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