Marca Get Bored; Make Up Stuff About Real and Roma

By: Martha | November 23rd, 2007

Beast, huh? You ain’t kidding. I’ve probably mentioned this a time or two here, but god damn do I want to work for Marca. Or As. You know at least 50% of their time is spent sitting around brainstorming rumors to publish, and then giggling at the international frenzy the good ones create. (For example: The Jozy Altidore-to-Real one that just recently sent every sports blogger and journalist in the country into a U-S-A! U-S-A! tizzy.)

Lately, the focus of Marca’s meetings have been players nearing the ends of their contacts, or who aren’t playing as much as they’d like (in other words, it’s been just like every other day), and the writers apparently decided that it was Roma who would be connected with Real this week. To that end, they reported yesterday that Roma are interested (along with all of England) in taking Real’s out of favor Julio Baptista on loan in January, with an eye to making the move permanent over the summer. The two clubs have a good relationship and, since Cicinho moved in the same direction last summer, it’s a good rumor to throw out — hell, it’s even one that Rosella may have even idly daydream about herself, the last the she got her hair done. As Baptista’s agent points out, however, his client would cost over €10 million and currently earns €2 million/season, and Roma aren’t exactly known for throwing giant piles of money around. (Of course, that fee is pretty much what Roma paid for Cicinho, so I’m not sure how prohibitive a price it really is.)

Today, though, Marca have added a wrinkle too the story: Since Roma (supposedly) want Baptisa, Real want (not necessarily in exchange, but just for fun) Daniele De Rossi and Mancini, a man whose loooooong contract negotiation process has freed him to be involved in any rumored deal Roma might want to make. Supposedly Real have been scouting Roma but, needless to say, there are no sources for these rumors, and even Marca admit De Rossi is “Roman and Roman at heart,” but they insist if anyone can make an offer big enough to pry him from Rosella’s and Totti’s clutches, it’s Real Madrid. Got all that?

Just imagine what they’ll be telling us once the transfer window actually opens.