english premier league

Robinho is desperate to join "The Blues"

2008-08-08T02:55:00.000-07:00

Brazilian football star Robinho is reportedly desperate to force Real Madrid to let him join Chelsea. According to ' The Sun ', Robinho is a 25-million-pound Blues target, but Real Madrid wants to secure Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo before they let him leave. I don't know where I am going to continue my career. The season is starting now and I have offers from other clubs -- one of them is Chelsea. But nothing is certain. We're in talks," The Sun quoted 24-year-old Robinho, as saying. A frustrated Robinho is also not being allowed to join Brazil's Olympic team. It's very bad for me to have to watch Brazil's Olympic team on TV. My will was to be with the rest of the group but Madrid did not want to allow me. I am very sad," he said.
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon insists the Blues will wait until the end of the window. Real Madrid have turned down Chelsea's 18 million pound bid and publicly insisted they will have to pay a 100 million pound get-out clause. But it is understood that the Spaniards will let Robinho go for around 25 million pounds, although Chelsea may have to wait until August 31.

Nine Manchester United players to miss start of UK football season

2008-08-08T02:51:00.000-07:00

Nine Manchester United players are set to miss the start of the English football season because of injury. Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick are down with a virus, while Owen Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson, Cristiano Ronaldo and Park Ji Sung also have different types of injury. Louis Saha has been out since March and Gary Neville has calf problems, The Sun reported.
"You worry about having a team ready for the start of the season. The league season starts in 12 days' time," the tabloid quoted coach Alex Ferguson, as saying.

Midfield men Hargreaves and Park have ruled out for the opening fortnight at least. Winger Nani is suspended for the first two Premier League games against Newcastle and Portsmouth, while Brazilian midfielder Anderson is playing at the Olympics. Star player Ronaldo is out until at least October as he recovers from an ankle operation.

'I'm never going back to ManU'

2008-08-08T02:41:00.000-07:00

Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly refused to go back to Manchester United and face coach Sir Alex Ferguson.

Sources close to the Portugal star told 'The Mirror' that: "Cristiano is not going back today, tomorrow, or any time soon. Everyone knows what he wants."
Twenty-three-year-old Ronaldo was due to return to United's Carrington training ground on Tuesday, even as Spain's Real Madrid football club was insisting that the winger wanted to confirm to Fergie his "dream" of moving to Bernabeu face-to-face. With the Spanish giants finally prepared to make an official 70-million bid, Ronaldo has decided against his return to Manchester.

Real president Ramon Calderon remained behind in London after the weekend's Emirates Cup competition amid speculation that he had scheduled a meeting with United's top brass. That failed to materialise but while Ferguson has remained utterly insistent that Ronaldo will not be allowed to leave, Real believe that there are now cracks in United's resolve. That will see Real make their move at last before the end of the week, with a draft plan that envisages the signing being completed by August 14 - and Ronaldo becoming the most expensive player in football history.

Ronaldo's refusal to come back to England is part of that thinking, with the player understood to have told friends he has no wish whatsoever to return to Carrington. Ronaldo is reportedly scared of what will happen if he is forced to confront Fergie's infamous 'hairdryer' treatment.
United privately insist there is no issue - and are confident that the player will be back at the club before the end of this week - but the new stance is clearly provocative.
Earlier reports said that Manchester United was hopeful of convincing Ronaldo to stay on for one more season.
Club sources were quoted by The Sun as saying that after the 2008-09 season, Ronaldo would be allowed to go to Real Madrid for 65-million pounds.

United's owners are reportedly considering giving the Real Madrid target (Ronaldo) a contract get-out clause, but they will first have to get past coach Alex Ferguson who is dead against selling the Portugal winger.
There is no certainty as of now that the Scot will accept a compromise.
Real are ready to offer a world record 65 million pounds to nab the player this year and there have been reports in Spain they would even pay 80 million pounds.
Madrid president Ramon Calderon is desperate to snap up Ronaldo, having failed to land World Player of the Year Kaka from AC Milan.
Calderon is a hugely unpopular president, despite back-to-back titles, and sees signing Ronaldo as the coup that will keep him in charge. Ronaldo is due back in Manchester later this week to have his ankle injury reassessed and is expected to be out until October.