Mmm … Transfer Rumors for Breakfast

By: Martha | November 15th, 2007

Paying tribute to the old men. [Posts on the death of Gabriele Sandri and subsequent events are collected here; this post is being updated with today’s news. It’s been announced that Luigi Spaccarotella — the shooter — will face murder charges.]

You know how Yoann Gourcuff sign a long-term extension with Milan over the summer, despite the fact that he never plays? Well, if reports in France are to be believed, he could soon be departing, at least for a little while. L’Equipe are reporting today that the young Frenchman could soon be heading home on loan, particularly since Carlo Ancelotti’s anointment of Pato as the Second Coming means there’s going to be even less space for attackers to come off the bench.

According to the paper, Gourcuff’s most likely winter destination is Lens. Coach Jean Pierre Papin has reportedly already enquired about the player’s availability and hasn’t been told off by Milan which, you know, is something. That said, there’s also the rumored possibility of a permanent move to Monaco, who aren’t fighting against relegation and are in search of long-term stability in their midfield.

Meanwhile, further north, the saga of Tiago Mendes continues. In the past few weeks, following his “I should be playing, dammit!” meltdown, we’ve heard he’s moving to: Werder Bremen, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, but now he’s hit the big time: It’s Barca, baby. Well, sort of. A Spanish paper cleverly contacted Mendes’ dad-agent, who says Barca have been interested in his son for a long time, and that his son returns the interest. The only thing keeping this from being a really, really awesome rumor is, well, the lack of an offer, pretend or otherwise, but given how the Tiago story is going, it’s surely only a matter of time before one emerges.

Finally, there are rumblings in the Italian press that Bayern’s Lukas Podolski — relegated to the bench thanks in part to the arrival of Luca Toni at the club — could be looking for a way out of Germany. If this is true, clearly there will be a whole lot of clubs interested but, according to today’s Corriere dello Sport, two if his most likely destinations are Milan and Fiorentina, the latter of which couldn’t afford him in a million years. Still, the thought is nice.

Oh, and Inter want Mancini. Tuttosport said it, so it must be true. (Actually, they do need a winger. Hmm.)