Mmm … News Roundup

By: Martha | May 10th, 2007

Flying Iaquinta •As Gianfranco over at the Juventus blog reported yesterday, Juve target Torsten Frings just did a rather abrupt about-face — he was loving Juve just a few weeks ago — and has signed a contract extension with Werder Bremen that will keep him with the club until 2011. Doh!

•Remember what I said about not reporting the Serie A start date because it was bound to change? Well, it’s been less than a week, and the complaining has already begun. Shockingly, though, we’re not talking about the start being moved back because of court battles (not yet, anyway) — instead, the FIGC and Azzurri gaffer Roberto Donadoni want a mid-August start in order to have the players at full ramming speed for the September Euro 2008 qualifiers.

•Ahead of the Azzurrini’s participation in the European Championships this summer, Pierluigi Casiraghi has called up a squad of 30 players. The team will be cut to 23 by May 30; the tournament itself kicks off June 10 in Holland.

•Juve may not want Roberto Carlos, but they’re apparently desperate to sign Udine’s Vincenzo Iaquinta. Despite the fact that the striker just extended his contract through 2010, Tuttosport (of course) says the deal — to the tune of about £7 million, plus co-ownership of an undermined Juve youth player — is nearly done.

•Though I can’t find the story anywhere, outlets somewhere in apparently reported today that Milan are considering a £15 million purchase of Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho. Um, what? Why on earth would Chelsea sell one of their key players, particularly for £5 million less than they spent him on him (three years ago now), and significantly under his value? Not that I wouldn’t love to see the man in Italy but, I mean, come on — this has got to be entirely made up.

•After only, like, a month actually playing for Atalanta, Christian Vieri is on his way to Torino this summer. Or not.

•Milan really, really, REALLY love their Andriy Shevchenko. So much so that, according to Adriano Galliani, the club will not make any move to fill their vacant non-EU transfer spot for “a couple of months,” just in case Sheva wants to use it. That, my friends, is devotion.