Thursday, July 2, 2009

Serie A, EPL, USA Rumors

In some Serie A news, Juventus have denied interest in Xabi Alonso and have been given a deadline to sign Udinese midfielder Gaetano D'Agostino.

Felipe Melo, a hot commodity after his performances on Brazil's Confederations Cup winning side, signed a contract extension with Fiorentina keeping him in Florence until 2013. Look for transfer rumors to pick up again next summer if he continues to show well with the Viola and Seleção.

In coaching news, it appears legendary fullback Paolo Maldini is negotiating with Chelsea to join former AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti's staff in some manner. He must be disillusioned with some aspect of Milan's management to not want to take a role with his lifelong club.

On the side of pure rumors and speculation, William Gallas could be headed to Inter, with Arsenal looking to replace their one-time captain with Ricardo Carvalho. Additionally, Everton are looking at the trio of Michael Owen, Stephen Hunt, and American Clint Dempsey. The US striker/midfielder is one of a few Americans who have garnered significant interest after the suprising run to the Confederations Cup final, including Oguchi Onyewu (Genoa, Ajax), Jozy Altidore (strong interest from Olympiakos and Fulham, though Villareal claims he's returning to La Liga this season), Charlie Davies (rumors have included Hamburg, Rennes, Sochaux and St. Etienne), and Ricardo Clark (Rennes, who seems to want to match Fulham as the European team with the most interest in Americans, already having Carlos Bocanegra on the roster). Altidore in particular needs to find consistent playing time to improve and refine his game, as it's apparent he has the raw talent and athleticism to be the type of scoring threat the US needs.

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