World Football Gossip Roundup: Messi's Millions, Dzeko, Tevez, Lampard, Berbatov
There's no shortage of gossip to get through in Tuesday's roundup—which stays mostly on the transfer speculation highway and stops off at Edin Dzeko, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov.
There's also talk of Lionel Messi's wage packet at Barcelona, which should be enough to see him through into old age—though there's no talk whatsoever of pension contributions.
And we've got an update on Carlos Tevez's long-awaited break from playing golf in Buenos Aires, too.
With Mike Cummings on a deserved day off, I'll be your host today. Enjoy the ride.
Messi: Show Me the Money
According to The Sun, Lionel Messi is set to earn a gluttonous £27.4 million this year from a combination of "wages, bonuses, sponsorships and endorsements."
That figure would make the Barcelona star football's highest-paid player, ahead of David Beckham in second and Cristiano Ronaldo third.
The Sun article references figures produced by France Football, who have Anzhi's Samuel Eto'o in fourth place, with earnings of £19.3 million, and Manchester United's Wayne Rooney fifth on £17 million.
When it comes to coaches, Real Madrid's "Special One" Jose Mourinho leads the pack with projected income of £12.3 million, with PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti second on £11 million and Barcelona's Pep Guardiola third with estimated earnings of £7.88 million.
Dzeko for Higuain?
The Daily Mail claim Manchester City are considering a deal to offer Edin Dzeko to Real Madrid in exchange for Gonzalo Higuain.
Dzeko's opportunities have been limited at City this season, as have Higuain's at Madrid, and the suggestion here is that their respective managers would both welcome a possible switch.
Jose Mourinho is said to be a fan of Bosnian striker Dzeko, while Roberto Mancini may see Higuain as the perfect partner for his fellow Argentina international Sergio Aguero.
This rumour actually makes quite a lot of sense.
The Return of Tevez
Carlos Tevez is set to make his long-awaited return for Manchester City against Chelsea on Wednesday night.
The striker's self-imposed exile is over, he's back in training and Roberto Mancini is reportedly ready to name Tevez among the substitutes at The Etihad.
Tevez has not featured for City's first team since September 2011, but according to his teammate Pablo Zabaleta will almost certainly make an appearance on Wednesday.
Goal.com took the following Zabaleta quotes from an interview he did last week with Argentine station Radio 9:
Quote:
Roberto [Mancini] has told us that he will most likely give Carlos some minutes next Wednesday against Chelsea.
In this team Tevez was a key player over the last two years. The final phase of the tournament begins now and his contribution will be vital for us.
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Lampard and Rio to China?
"Rio and Lampard in Chinese Takeaway" reads the rather lazy Sun headline. You know exactly what's coming next.
This time the Chinese Super League club are Guizhou Renhe—and they're ready to offer Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard a whopping £250,000/week to leave the Premier League behind for a stint in the Far East.
Here's club chairman Wang Guolin:
Quote:
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I want the best team in China and we are prepared to invest a lot of money to bring Ferdinand and Lampard to us. Many people here watch the Premier League and know how good the two players are.
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File this one in the "highly unlikely" category.
Berbatov 'Uncomfortable' at United
Dimitar Berbatov's agent has been quoted by The Independent saying his player is "uncomfortable" with being paid his wages while barely featuring for the first team.
Berbatov is set to leave Manchester United in the summer. Sir Alex Ferguson decided he will not stand in the striker's way.
Here's what Berbatov's agent Emil Danchev reportedly told Bulgarian media:
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The position of the club is: "We will not interfere. We are open to offers and if one comes in then we will not make difficulties." At a recent meeting, Mitko (Berbatov) said: "I am not getting enough playing time. I want to play [in] my last years. I am uncomfortable [because] I'm getting money, but [am not] working."
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