Stevan Jovetic : Timetable For Transfer

Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic has revealed that he will know the identity of his next club within 10 days. It has been widely expected for some time that Jovetic will be leaving the Serie A side this summer after having been persuaded to remain in Florence for one more season 12 months ago. Arsenal have been strongly linked with the Montenegro international, while Italian champions Juventus are also thought to hold a strong interest.And, while relaxing in the beach city of Budva in his homeland on Saturday, Jovetic disclosed that he would soon know what his future holds.

“He said ‘In 10 days, I will know which club I will go to,’” a source told IBTimes. “When asked which club he prefers, Arsenal or Juventus, Jovetic replied ‘My devotion belongs to [my first club] Partizan [Belgrade].’”

After Fiorentina missed out on qualification for the Champions League at the hands of Milan on the last day of the season, Jovetic has made it clear that he wants a fresh challenge.

"Last summer president Andrea Della Valle told me to stay one more year and that at the end of the season, which is now, I would be allowed to leave if I wanted to,” Jovetic explained in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport last month. "I've been at Fiorentina since 2008, it has been five intense seasons. I'm young and ambitious and it is normal to want to test myself somewhere else. I don't see anything wrong with that.”

A potential stumbling block thus far to a deal being completed could well be Fiorentina’s insistence that Jovetic can only leave if a bid of €30 million (£25.7m) is received. That may have been enough to deter Juventus, which last week completed a deal for another forward, Carlos Tevez. Arsenal’s interest may also have cooled as they close in on the signing of Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. With Madrid set to lose the Argentina international, reports in Spain in recent days have claimed that the Spanish giants’ new manager Carlo Ancelotti is keen to bring Jovetic to the Bernabeu.

The 23-year-old is also thought to be admired by former Madrid boss Jose Mourinho. The new Chelsea manager is on the lookout for a forward this summer and, after missing out on Radamel Falcao, could be making a move for Jovetic.

After joining Fiorentina for €8 million (£6.9m) in 2008, Jovetic suffered a major setback two years later when he missed an entire season following a severe cruciate knee ligament injury. He returned in fine fashion in the 2011-12 season, hitting 14 goals in Serie A. His form tailed off somewhat last campaign, scoring just once in his final eight league appearances. However, few doubt his all-round talent and he will further appeal to prospective suitors for his ability to operate as a main striker, coming in from wide areas or, indeed, playing off of a center forward.

Benzema, Llorente and 80 million for the next Champions League

The director of Quotidiano Sportivo, Enzo Bucchioni, shared new Juventus rumors on the market in his editorial today for Tuttomercatoweb.com: Today in Italy there will be a summit between Agnelli and his operating board regarding the market and the foundations for the future of Juventus. The elimination from the Champions League has confirmed everything we already knew, this is a team that has no rival in Italy, but in Europe it is still far from the top 5-6 teams.

How to bridge this gap? This is the big question and is not JUST about money. Juventus need quality players, but also ones who reserve elements of great character and personality. Charisma that in difficult situations can give something more. In this regard, there are many regrets for not having spent seven million needed to take Drogba in January instead of the useless Anelka. Conte does not even use him in training.

With this consideration in mind, Juventus will tighten operation costs and pool the sums together that are standing for months. Meanwhile, they have decided to expand the pot making fifty million available to Marotta and company.

To this an additional 30 million will be added that will come from the sale of Vidal now decided a long time despite the negative signals in recent weeks and the statements of the players. With eighty million a very different Juventus can emerge if Marotta buys intelligently. There are three main objectives: an attacker of international stature, an external attack or a midfielder and a right-sided defense of character.Then, of course, other acquisitions through loans in the Italian market. Summer sees Llorente officially become black and white.

One possible avenue for the attacker is through Real Madrid. Madrid will take Cavani and either Iguain or Benzema will end up on the market. Needless to say that Conte really likes Benzema, a player who participates in the operation, has power and sense for goal. Iguain also adapts very well to the ideas of Conte.

Aside from the despondent comments made by Ibrahimovic about PSG over the last two months and the fact Raiola has been working on a move out of PSG for some time now, it takes patience and above all, additional ideas from the economic point of view since the signing fees of the Sweed are huge. Working with the sponsors (additional funds for commercial rights) would lend to the striker more favorably in Italy instead of France.

A third option came to light only recently. Why not try Robben? The Dutchman, has played two great matches against Juventus, but hasn't had an extraordinary season and Guardiola hasn't included him among the non-transferables. He renewed his contract last May but Robben may want a change of scenery (his role at Bayern is sure to change under Guardiola) and his fees are not astronomical. He can be used for an outside attack, but also as a midfielder.

I also like Diamanti. He's a versatile player who could fulfill a number of roles, as well as facilitate a return to 4-3-3. Bologna and Juventus are in discussions about a potential deal but the player fears less play time, not to be a starter at Juventus as he is in Bologna is a sticking point because most of all he fears losing his blue shirt on the national team.

For the midfield instead of Vidal play Pogba, but we need alternatives because Andrea Poli coming from Sampdoria is not enough. Asamoha and Isla should be signed, Conte believes he can recover Isla and get him back to form as when he played in Udine.

All the current attackers should be on the market, if you get the right offer even Vucinic should be considered. Zorro is talking to Jovetic, but prying him from Fiorentina is difficult for many reasons and in the end he may eventually go to Ljui even if we do make the right offer.

Finally for the defense it's reported that Marotta is trying to convince Cagliari to give up Astori, a valid alternative to the current backline.

Today, one thing is for sure, Agnelli must lead the way to build a Juve able to really compete and win in Europe.

Ahmet Cakar suggests 'fixed' Champions League draw.

Heated balls, squishy balls, heavier balls, bigger balls – we've heard all these conspiracy theories of how UEFA allegedly rig their Champions League draws.  Now a former International referee has now gone further, explosively claiming that UEFA use vibrating balls to ensure that the biggest clubs are kept apart until the latter stages of their competitions.    

The Turkish official, Ahmet Cakar, has sensationally suggested that the former football stars that carry out the draws have metal objects in their hand which pick up vibrations in the balls as they bounce around in the pot.  This therefore allows the stars to know exactly when to draw each ball and guarantee the ties that UEFA’s top brass desire.  Those incriminated by the allegations would include former footballing heroes including Steve McManaman and Patrick Kluivert – who picked out the balls during last week’s respective draws – while past legends such as Denis Law, George Weah and Ruud Gullit would also be accused, having presided over draws in years gone by. 

Ahmet Cakar

Cakar also believes that UEFA General Secretary, Gianni Infantino  also plays a part in this deception – with Cakar accusing him of suspicious hand movements while the draws take place, with the Italian seen to be moving a lever beside the pot of balls during last week’s draw. Suspicious, indeed.  The wacky official, who has re-invented himself as the country’s most controversial TV pundit  carried out a bizarre demonstration, live on national Turkish television, in which he showed the ease with which a draw can be fixed. 

Going through a methodical system that he believes UEFA use (although he does not reveal his mysterious secrets), Cakar mystically picks balls out of a bowl with the intention of recreating the exact order of last week’s Europa League quarterfinal draw. Cakar keeps his eyes closed throughout but he still manages to spookily create a draw identical to the one that UEFA carried out last week.

The Turk’s suspicions were raised when, during the Champions League last 16 draw in December, the rehearsal draw corresponded exactly with the real one day later, with bookmakers offering odds of 5,000-1 of the incident occurring, while others suggested the odds could be as extreme as nearly 2,000,000-1.

The official’s major concerns also surround his conviction that Europe’s biggest names are favoured by being handed 'easier' ties while Cakar maintains that clubs from the same country are also separated for as long as possible.  Interestingly the evidence of last week’s draw does little to dampen his speculation – with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the clubs widely considered to be the competition’s favourites – all being kept apart.  There is a particular sense of injustice in Turkey, with supporters believing that Galtasaray were purposely drawn against Real Madrid so as to ensure that, as a 'supposed' weaker side, they would be eliminated before the latter stages of the competition. 

Adding further fuel to the fire is the fact that no clubs in either the Champions League or Europa League quarter-final draw were drawn against a team from the same nation – despite the fact that the Champions League competition has three Spanish clubs out of the remaining eight still in the competition and the Europa League had three English clubs of the remaining eight still in their competition.

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Juve is smaller but ready to compete

Juventus returns to the Champions League quarter finals after 7 years

Juventus, traditionally one of Europe's biggest clubs, are back in the last eight of the Champions League but coach Antonio Conte does not want them seen in the same light as Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

Conte has recognised that the 28-times Italian champions and twice European champions cannot compete financially with clubs from Spain, Italy or England, even if results on the field have been just as good, if not better.

Conte himself won a Champions League medal with Juventus during his 13-year playing career with them, and they also finished as runners-up three times while he was at the club.

Having bounced back after the Caliopoli match-fixing scandal, which saw them stripped of their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles and demoted to the second tier, Juventus now face a different reality on their return to the quarter-finals following a seven-year wait.

Twice European champions, five-times runners-up, Cup Winners Cup winners on one occasion and UEFA Cup champions three times, they no longer find themselves mentioned in the same breath as Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern.

"When I played, there were not so many well-structured clubs, and there were more opportunities for Italian teams to be successful," Conte told reporters after Juve beat Celtic 2-0 on Wednesday to complete a 5-0 aggregate win in the last 16 tie.

"Now, for a variety of reasons, mainly financial, teams such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich are stronger.

"We must be humble, be aware that we can no longer bridge that economic gap. We are three of four steps below them but it doesn't mean we can't compete with them.

"At the end, it's about two teams with 11 players, a pitch and a referee."

Juventus are not Europe's most stylish team but Conte, still in only his second season in charge, has turned them into a formidable outfit, who hassle the opposition incessantly in midfield and break forward at breakneck speed when they win possession.

Conte habitually fields a three-man defence and a five man midfield where the majestic Andrea Pirlo, whose role as a deep-lying playmaker makes him a rarity in modern football, pulls the strings.

Fleet-footed teenager Paul Pogba, who played alongside Pirlo on Wednesday, is showing every sign that he can eventually replace the 33-year-old.

Juventus are at their most dangerous when they break forward with raking diagonal passes from their midfield for any one of their speedy forwards to chase.

Combative Chilean Arturo Vidal is another key figure on the right of the midfield.

Conte always fields a two-man front line, rotating between any two of Fabio Quagliarella, Sebastian Giovinco, Alessandro Matri and Mirko Vucinic.

With the talismanic Gianluigi Buffon in goal, their three-man defence has not conceded a goal in their last five European games and they have not been beaten in Europe in their last 18 outings.

"They have a great work ethic about them," said admiring Celtic manager Neil Lennon.

"They don't have the flamboyance of Barcelona but they work very for each other, they have great balance and they are always a threat going forward.

"I don't see why Juventus can't win it. They have been fantastically consistent, and at home here in Turin, it's a fortress."

Juve, Matri like Lazio.

Alessandro Matri leaving Turin is a concrete possibility. The Juventus striker likes Lazio and in recent days could be on the transfer market. In addition the same player would find a change of routine, disappointed by the fact that his coach  deploys him fourth in the hierarchy of the attackers with Anelka ready to surpass him.

 Lazio, looking for a bit of value alongside Klose, is considering an offer to Turin club.

The Lopez - Anelka predicament

Here are the latest details of the transfer news and rumours.

Juventus is seeking to aquire the argentinian Lisandro Lopez from Olympique Lyonnais on loan with a fee and an option to purchase. It was his agent Hidalgo who first contacted Juventus just before Christmas. Lyonnais is looking for 2mil with an obligation to purchase in July at 7mil. This is the sticking point. 

Enter Nicolas Anelka. According to Italian paper La Stampa, Juventus has reached an agreement with Anelka on a salary of 600,000 euros plus bonuses up to 700,000. Anelka would recieve 200,000 for playing over 11 games, 200,000 for the scudetto and an additional 300,000 for the Champions League. He is currently under contract with Shanghai, (a two year deal at 10 million euro), but it is widely agreed that they would release him from his contract. 

To clarify, although an agreement on salary has been made, this by no means is a done deal because Juventus are waiting on movement from Lopez (Lyonnais). Anelka is the backup option should Lyonnais not loan Lopez to Juventus. 

 Juventus management will be on hand in France today at the match between Lyonnais and Valenciennes FC.

More to follow...

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