Is this a joke?

cHaTbOx

Manchester City have failed with a transfer-record breaking bid to make Iker Casillas the highest paid footballer in the world, according to Spanish sources.
City are understood to have made contact with Casillas's agent about a move to Eastlands.
City owners - Abu Dhabi United Group - have already pledged to spend big and reports suggest they are prepared to break the world-record transfer fee, currently still set at just under £50million when Zinedine Zidane joined Real Madrid from Juventus in 2001.
City broke the British record when they paid Real £32.5million for Robinho in August, but their bid to land Spanish number one Casillas looks to have come up short.
According to leading Spanish radio station Caden Ser, City were ready to pay the buy-out clause in Casillas contract - currently set at a staggering £128million.
Then they offered to pay him up to £11million-per-season - which would see him picking up just short of £230,000 per week - dwarfing any deal paid to the world's top players at present.
However, it is believed Casillas rejected the overtures out of hand and therefore City had no need to make a formal offer to Real and there was little point in doing so unless the player wanted to move.
Despite the failure - it is a clear sign City's new owners are intent on taking the club to a new level.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11679_4581884,00.html

Are these transfer prices seeming more ans more like a joke?

zAbbo

Throwing in a silly money bid does seem strange.

Maybe it's to show intent, on the other hand - it shows they have silly money to spend

But if you're going to buy a keeper, Casillas is the best

Galvasean

£128 million? That's a spicy meatball! :eek:

And who says foreign investors aren't ruining the game?

delija_sever029

Nah,after bid for Buffon i wouldnt say this is not for real

Vokes

Those minimum release clauses are pretty much standard in the contracts for Spanish-based players, aren't they? All the top players have them upwards of 50mil or something.

Doesn't mean the club would be unwilling to sell for less tho.

~Rebel~

SofaK wrote: »

Those minimum release clauses are pretty much standard in the contracts for Spanish-based players, aren't they? All the top players have them upwards of 50mil or something.

Doesn't mean the club would be unwilling to sell for less tho.

i think they're actually legally obliged to have a buy out clause in Spain, so, as you say, they set them ridiculously high to negate the risk of their best assets being taken before they're ready to let them go.

delija_sever029

I believe no matter how many billions these arab guys want to invest it wont be easy at all to bring world class players in City,its obvious already,first of all,any other top team from Europe wont accept to sell their best players no matter for how much and those players wont accept that easy to go,otherwise i dont see why wouldnt Juve or Real send their goalkeepers right now

whatawaster

I think City will have a real problem getting the very best players in the world to join them. I doubt they'll be able to sign the likes of Ronaldo, Torres, Gerrard, Fabregas, Messi etc unless they establish themselves as a top European side, which will take time. The problem is they aren't gonna have Champions League football next season, unless they have a crazy second half to the season.

~Rebel~

its also probably the toughest league to break into the champions league spots. They could easily spend a fortune this year on players who have to play a season out of the CL, only to still finish in 5th and thus spend another year out.


I really dont understand this whole bidding astrnomical figures thing. Bidding, say, 60million for a keeper would have much the same impact. More then likely succeed, and still a new transfer world record/statement of intent.

Unearthly

Yes it's a joke

he's worth 200 minimum

Frisbee

Why would they splash out that much on a keeper when Joe Hart, for me anyway, is the most promising Keeper in the Premiership...

HalloweenJack

zAbbo wrote: »

But if you're going to buy a keeper, Casillas is the best

He's been very dodgy of late. They'd be better off sticking with Hart or going for Given.

delija_sever029

This is just gonna ruin football and any club who is not rich:(

bigstar

its not true anyway, the spanish guy on sky sports just said its people acting without city's consent. the transfer windows are becoming silly season

LuckyLloyd

Frisbee wrote: »

Why would they splash out that much on a keeper when Joe Hart, for me anyway, is the most promising Keeper in the Premiership...

Casillas >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hart now

and

>>>> Hart's ceiling potential

Remember when Chelsea went out and brought in Cech despite having Cudicini? If you really want to crush world football, I mean really skull **** everyone into the dust (and you truly have limitless funds to help you achieve that ambition), then your vision does not involve players like Joe Hart.

SectionF

They should buy Brian Murphy. Seriously.

Frisbee

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Casillas >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hart now

and

>>>> Hart's ceiling potential

Remember when Chelsea went out and brought in Cech despite having Cudicini? If you really want to crush world football, I mean really skull **** everyone into the dust (and you truly have limitless funds to help you achieve that ambition), then your vision does not involve players like Joe Hart.

Fair enough. As long as they sell us Hart I couldn't give a crap...

Dave!

Wouldn't surprise me tbh... Sure the arabs lose that amount running for the bus limo anyway. I expect City will make huge money bids for pretty much everybody this January. Kaka, Ronaldo, Messi, Casillas....... basically any big name. Maybe they'll even get a defender or 2!

January should be a fun month!

Frisbee wrote: »

Fair enough. As long as they sell us Hart I couldn't give a crap...

Sure ye have Almunia, what more could you want?! Greedy!

Frisbee

Dave! wrote: »

Sure ye have Almunia, what more could you want?! Greedy!

Opposed to what everyone else thinks I don't think Almunia is a bad keeper tbh.
However two more seasons and he's gone.
Fabianski hasn't shown he's ready yet, or anywhere near it.
Schnezny broke both his arms at the same time two weeks ago, not the kind of smart goalie I want...
And Mannone has potential, have seen very little of him.

So yeah, Hart would be a nice acquisition...

monkey9

Frisbee wrote: »

Schnezny broke both his arms at the same time two weeks ago, not the kind of smart goalie I want...

How did he manage that??

_blank_

monkey9 wrote: »

How did he manage that??

yeah, wtf?

Frisbee

monkey9 wrote: »

How did he manage that??

Diving for a ball.
Fractured them both.

The mind boggles

Dave!

Was he doin a handstand???

edit:

ah.

roryc

does anyone know offhand what Chelsea's first team was like before Abramovich arrived? Would they have been better than City are now? Just thinking whether City can really attract the big names they are going after...

whatawaster

roryc wrote: »

does anyone know offhand what Chelsea's first team was like before Abramovich arrived? Would they have been better than City are now? Just thinking whether City can really attract the big names they are going after...

they were, i think, already qualified for the champions league when Roman arrived and had the likes of Terry, Cudicini, Lampard, Gudjohnson, Gallas etc, so they had a good squad.

But the players they signed were not the very very best in the world. No Ronaldinho, Henry or Shevchonko (at the time). They bought players like Mutu, Veron, Crespo, Makelele, Duff, Geremi, Glen Johnson who were available and willing to go to Chelsea for various reasons.
These are the kind of categories of players city will find it easier to attract - players not wanted by their own clubs for no apparant reason (Makelele), players looking to move to a bigger club (Duff), young players (Johnson), aging players (Crespo) and expensive flops (Veron).
There are still some wonderful players in those categories though.

5starpool

Chelsea had already qualified for the champs league when Abramovich arrived.

City are a long way off that now. I think it would take 18 months at least no matter what money is available to buy players as getting the best players will take a few years of consistency imo.

podge79

roryc wrote: »

does anyone know offhand what Chelsea's first team was like before Abramovich arrived? Would they have been better than City are now? Just thinking whether City can really attract the big names they are going after...

as someone had mentioned chelsea had the likes of lampard, terry, gallas, gudjohnsen, cudicini already in the squad ..

but also in the squad were the likes of Jimmy Floydd Hasselbaink, Marcel Desailly, ed de goey and the great 'Franca Zola.

others included Le saux, petit, stanic, zenden, melciot, huth, albert ferrer, carlton cole and jesper gronkjaer. cant remember if babayaro was still there at the time or when he moved on and if winston 'i couldnt be arsed and am happy here in the reserves' bogarde was still collecting 40k a wk. think ambrosetti was gone at that stage not sure though

as for in comparison with city and can they attract big names... important thing for city to do is not just think money is the solution... target players that are committed and after more then a big fat paycheck

Quint

Does anyone actually believe that this "bid" took place? And Casillias turned down €15m a season?
I don't believe any of it for a second, surprised the story didn't originate in Marca

delija_sever029

I am reading at the moment at our sports news page that City offered 85mil for Messi and Kaka each,and they are ready to offer same ammount for Torres,Ronaldo,Tevez,Eto'o.So they hope they will manage to get any of them after all

Crazy...:rolleyes:

vestanpance

delija_sever029 wrote: »

I am reading at the moment at our sports news page that City offered 85mil for Messi and Kaka each,and they are ready to offer same ammount for Torres,Ronaldo,Tevez,Eto'o.So they hope they will manage to get any of them after all

Crazy...:rolleyes:

So no defenders then.

Frisbee wrote: »

Schnezny broke both his arms at the same time two weeks ago, not the kind of smart goalie I want...

How does he wipe his arse ?????

anonymous_joe

It's interesting, I'd assume that they're hoping one or two big teams will want to cash in on their stars and pay off some debts. Liverpool and United both have massive debts, and a 100 million or so, could easily be used to service those debts, and you could probably keep 30 or 40 and sign replacements.

I'd have assumed that they'll probably just buy a raft of young talent and the odd slightly past it big name, and the flops. Robinho despite all his talent was 'flopping' at Real, misfiring superstars languishing in reserves and on benches will be the obvious choices.

Adriano would be a decent shout for a striker if I was Hughes. Guys of that ilk.

delija_sever029

vestanpance wrote: »

So no defenders then.

If they bring them all someone will definitly have to play defence:pac:

delija_sever029

No way,i am reading Real Madrid wants to bring our striker from Standard,Milan Jovanovic....haha

Helix

Frisbee wrote: »

Diving for a ball.
Fractured them both.

The mind boggles

was it not a weight lifting accident in the gym?

L'prof

Helix wrote: »

was it not a weight lifting accident in the gym?

Apparently so, link.

premierstone

vestanpance wrote: »

How does he wipe his arse ?????

Toilet paper id imagine