Football transfer rumours: Ashley Cole to Paris Saint Germain? | Simon Burnton

[admin]

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.24.1.1/14390?ns=guardian&pageName=Football+transfer+rumours%3A+Ashley+Cole+to+Paris+Saint+Germain%3F+%7C+Simon+B%3AArticle%3A1782863&ch=Football&c3=GU.co.uk&c4=Football%2CSport&c5=&c6=Simon+Burnton&c7=12-Aug-03&c8=1782863&c9=Article&c10=Feature&c11=Football&c13=Rumour+Mill+%28series%29&c25=&c30=content&c42=Sport&h2=GU%2FSport%2FFootball%2F" width="1" height="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">Today's fluff came last in the 100m heats</p><p><strong>Ashley Cole</strong> is a surprise target for <strong>rapacious player-slurpers Paris St-Germain</strong>, who are willing to offer the full-back a thumping three-year deal to tempt him away from Chelsea, where he is in the final year of his contract. The loveable touchline-hugger is believed to be a bit miffed, bearing in mind his imminent free-agentness, that his current employers are yet to knock on his door bearing a new contract, and <strong>a Paris-bound strop cannot therefore be ruled out</strong>.</p><p></p><p>Talking of miffed, Italian giants <strong>Juventus are reported to be feeling similarly out of sorts at the absence of Robin van Persie from their playing roster</strong>, despite the offer of a five-year £190,000-a-week contract for the striker and an exceedingly large dump-truck of cash for Arsenal. They are now stamping their feet and demanding an answer within a week, otherwise they will scream very, very loudly.</p><p></p><p>Perhaps the reason Chelsea haven't been giving Ashley Cole enough attention is that they're busy concentrating on the <strong>Marseille ace César Azpilicueta</strong>. The Blues have followed an unsuccessful offer of £5.4m with an improved bid of £7m for the full-back, but the French club want £8.5m before they let the player go.</p><p></p><p><strong>Tottenham have £10m and they're going to use it</strong>. More specifically, they're going to use it to sign Málaga striker Salomon Rondon, who could join his team-mate Santi Cazorla – <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/aug/02/arsenal-santi-cazorla-robin-van-persie" title="">so close to sealing his £17m move to Arsenal he may actually already have sealed it</a> – on the flight to Heathrow. Or Stansted. Or Gatwick. Possibly heading the other way is <strong>Alex Song, who has emerged as a £16m target for Barcelona</strong>, though the Spaniards will drop their interest if a move for Athletic Bilbao's Javi Martínez goes through.</p><p></p><p>Levante striker <strong>Arouna "Ice Cream" Koné</strong> is desperate to move to the Premier League and <strong>Fulham are desperate to sign him</strong>. It's thought that £7m will be enough to snaffle the prolific 28-year-old Ivorian, but the Cottagers may face competition from Spurs, again, Sunderland and Wigan. Fulham have also bid £4.5m for the Wolves winger Matt Jarvis, but have been told to go away, double it, and then come back again. <strong>Sunderland have also gone shopping at Molineux</strong> hoping to get a bargain in the sales, their target the Scottish striker Steven Fletcher. The Black Cats have had a £10m bid turned down, but are ready to go back with an extra mill.</p><p></p><p>Blackburn are ready to outbid moneybags Fulham with a £5m offer for the <strong>Huddersfield striker Jordan Rhodes</strong>, though the Terriers would get only £2m of that now, with the remainder due only if Rovers win promotion. <strong>West Ham have been impressed by Moussa Konaté, a striker in Senegal's Olympic team, and are ready to bid £1.5m</strong> for the 19-year-old Maccabi Tel Aviv frontman. In news that doesn't really go anywhere else so I might as well just slip on the end here, West Bromwich want Nijmegen's 22-year-old centre-back, Bram "I Owe You" Nuytinck.</p><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/simonburnton">Simon Burnton</a></div><br/><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /><img width='1' height='1' src='http://guardian.co.uk.feedsportal.com/c/34708/f/639039/s/22035531/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/139791727238/u/49/f/639039/c/34708/s/22035531/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/139791727238/u/49/f/639039/c/34708/s/22035531/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/139791727238/u/49/f/639039/c/34708/s/22035531/a2t.img" border="0"/>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/-MCIQNIXx1mZVdbYaQhUV8qhVuI/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/-MCIQNIXx1mZVdbYaQhUV8qhVuI/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/-MCIQNIXx1mZVdbYaQhUV8qhVuI/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/-MCIQNIXx1mZVdbYaQhUV8qhVuI/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/theguardian/football/rss/~4/py88ssKcUDk" height="1" width="1"/>

More...