United bid for Roa

Manchester United have made a £1 million bid for Real Mallorca goalkeeper Carlos Roa.

The Argentine international is out of contract soon and refusing to sign a new deal with the Spanish side because his religious beliefs are predicting the end of the world in 2001.

Roa has indicated an intention to give up the game at the end of his current contract and devote himself to religion but his recent goalkeeping have made him attractive to United who were impressed by his display against Chelsea in the Cup Winners' Cup over the past month.

United want to find a replacement for Peter Schmeichel who will leave after the Champions League final on May 26th and Roa is again under serious consideration.

what a gem

FC Barcelona are considering a move for Argentinian defender Mauricio Pochettino as a replacement for Dutch international centre back Winston Bogarde.

The former Ajax and AC Milan defender is close to a move to Manchester United after a series of defensive injuries have hit the treble champions at the start of the new season.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson dismissed reports that the club were about to sign a new defender today but the Spanish transfer deadline is tonight and the club have contacted Barca to talk about the availability of Bogarde.

Any business would need to take place quickly as registration for the new Spanish season ends tonight but a £5 million bid from United in expected at the Catalan club soon and they are prepared to push through a move for Pochettino.

Newcastle United have rejected an £18 million offer from Manchester United for midfielder Kieron Dyer.

United have matched Inter's interest in Dyer as they spend to strengthen a squad which was knocked out of the Champions League last week. They are now considering raising their offer or looking abroad as they continue a spending spree that has been three years in the making.

United see Dyer as a better option than French full back Mickael Silvestre and veteran star Dennis Irwin is close to the end of his career with the club.

Internazionale offered Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf to Newcastle United in a bid to push through their move for the young England player.

Inter wanted Dyer for next season to add width to their attack and were prepared to swap Seedorf and add cash to the proposed deal to try and tempt Newcastle.

Newcastle manager Bobby Robson needs to sell players if he is to generate cash for transfer dealings in the summer but the Tyneside club do not want to let Dyer leave.

Inter's package saw the 22 year old Dyer rated at £18 million and United have come in at the same level with their bid for the player who can also play in defence and attack. Inter are offering Seedorf who in theory is a replacement for Dyer plus cash to boost the deal.

Although Dyer has been missing from the Newcastle team for the past month with shin splints which needed surgery, he is regarded as one of the best young prospects in the English game.

Manchester United have had a £6.5 million offer accepted by Brazilian club Cruzeiro for Argentine defender Juan Pablo Sorin.

Sorin operates on the left wing but has also has experience throughout the defence.

United failed to sign Bixente Lizarazu from Bayern Munich last month and wanted to strengthen their defensive options ahead of next month's start to the Champions League.

The English champions broke their club record fee to sign Argentina captain Juan Veron from SS Lazio in July and want a second Argentine to help Veron settle in the Premiership.

Sorin is expected in Manchester next week to have medical checks and finalise a four year contract. Completion of the transfer will take United's summer spending beyond £55 million as Sir Alex Ferguson prepares for his last season as team coach.

Manchester United will know by mid April if their £12 million bid for Alvaro Recoba is to succeed.

The Uruguayan star was the subject of an offer from United last week but Inter denied any deal was imminent. Recoba for his part wants to stay with the Milan club but contract negotiations start next week on a new contract for the talented left sided attacking player.

Inter loaned him out to Venezia last season and his regular place in the Venice club's first team brought some sensational form from the 22 year old whose goals helped keep the club in Serie A.

Recoba wants regular first team games but is well behind Christian Vieri and Ronaldo in the race for attacking places and only gets extended runs in the side when others are injured. He remains a central figure in the Uruguay squad but has clashed with the Milan club over his availability for matches last year.

Talks on a new contract - his present deal expires in summer 2001 - should give a clearer indication for his future at Inter but the United interest is starting to concentrate minds at the Milan club about the place Recoba has in their future.

Get a Vicente story up please.

The Sorin one was a very strong rumour for while. Think there was genuine interest there.

Carlos Roa

Sir Alex Ferguson has been quoted in a Brazilian newspaper as saying he remains determined to sign Rivaldo for Manchester United.

The European player of the year was a target of United back in the summer, although Old Trafford chairman Martin Edwards later admitted the club were unlikely to be able to afford his wages.

According to Monday's Daily Mail, Ferguson told Brazilian newspaper Globo: "We really have tried to sign Rivaldo and, although the negotiations have not prospered, we have not given up."

The Barcelona forward was named as Europe's top man of 1999 last week, but was promptly dropped from the Spanish club's first team after falling out with coach Louis Van Gaal.

His likely asking price would certainly smash United's current transfer record of £12.6m paid to Aston Villa for for Dwight Yorke.

That figure could even be doubled if Rivaldo was to arrive in Manchester, while his wages would probably top the reported £50,000 a year the club is now paying skipper Roy Keane.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Carlos Roa

How good is that? Trying to sign him because he thinks the world is going to end in 2001

"The year 2000 is going to be difficult," Roa declared. "In the world, there is war, hunger, plague, much poverty, floods. I can assure you that those people who don't have a spiritual connection with God and the type of life that he wants will be in trouble."

It is widely reported that United have the right of first refusal to sign Udinese and Germany striker Oliver Bierhoff. If the deal is to go through, it would not be until after France 1998. At that time Bierhoff will be 31 years old.

There is wild speculation about Norwich's top youngster Darren Eadie to join United after several scouts have been in attendance at many of the Canaries' games.

Originally Posted by One Love

There is wild speculation about Norwich's top youngster Darren Eadie to join United after several scouts have been in attendance at many of the Canaries' games.

New Ryan Giggs don't you know.

Gabriel Batistuta scored three times as Argentina hammered Bosnia by 5-0 but the real star on show was Ariel Ortega.

Every Argentina game now seems to add to Ortega's repertoire of runs and flicks as he creates goals for others and there is no better forward to play alongside than the formidable Batistuta who took his international scoring record up to 41 in 60 matches.

His first came in only the fourth minute of play with the outclassed Bosnian side only touching the ball to make heavy clearances but the pressure was unrelenting from the brisk Argentinians and Ortega took the ball down the right and crossed for Batistuta to find the net with a low left foot shot.

His second was a shot from the edge of the area after a move of fine approach work. It is not easy to judge a side against such weak opposition but only two weeks ago Daniel Passarella's recoreded a win against Brazil in Rio and they have a pleasing blend of Latin skill in the shape of Ortega and the driving discipline of the European leagues epitomised by the goal scoring of Batistuta who has just completed his eighth season in Italy. They rarely concede goals either.

An industrious midfield contains performers like Javier Zanetti who scored the third and the hard running Claudio Lopez. Ortega provided the cross for Batistuta to complete his hat trick in the 79th minute and they were both watched by representatives of Manchester United who will certainly bid for Batistuta soon but they must also have been impressed by the excellent Ortega.

On May 24th Argentina host fellow qualifiers South Africa in Buenos Aires.

Brazilian centre-half Celio Silva is virtually a Manchester United player.

Silva met club officials in Manchester and agreed personal terms, and all he should need to do now is wait for a work permit.

But because he has been a regular in the Brazilian side since 1995, he fulfils the necessary requirements for a permit and the move should go through shortly.

United had already agreed a fee for the 29-year-old with Brazilian club Corinthians believed to be in the region of £3.5million.

Club solicitor and director Maurice Watkins, on his way to join up with the United squad on their pre-season tour of Thailand, confirmed: "We have concluded negotiations with both the club and the player.

Silva starred for Brazil during the recent four-team Tournoi competition in France, where he marked Alan Shearer

He's flown back to Brazil, but he's expected to return to England in the next fortnight to join his new team-mates after they return from the Far East. . Silva will be United's second major signing of the summer, following Teddy Sheringham's £3.5million move from Tottenham last month.

Inter have won the race to sign Croatian defender Dario Simic.

The Milan giants have spent £5 million to land the highly rated young Croatia Zagreb player - and keep him away from Champions League rivals Manchester United.

Simic's father handles his business affairs and had confidently predicted that his son would join United in October but personal terms ended up breaking the deal. Inter stepped in with an offer of £1 million a year wages and a near £2 million signing on fee. Zagreb will only get half of the transfer money for Simic under the deal.

The defender is not expected to make a quick debut in Seie A and will have to prove himself in the squad to start with and win the favour of the coach for the next five months, Lucescu.

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

Brazilian centre-half Celio Silva is virtually a Manchester United player.

Silva met club officials in Manchester and agreed personal terms, and all he should need to do now is wait for a work permit.

But because he has been a regular in the Brazilian side since 1995, he fulfils the necessary requirements for a permit and the move should go through shortly.

United had already agreed a fee for the 29-year-old with Brazilian club Corinthians believed to be in the region of £3.5million.

Club solicitor and director Maurice Watkins, on his way to join up with the United squad on their pre-season tour of Thailand, confirmed: "We have concluded negotiations with both the club and the player.

Silva starred for Brazil during the recent four-team Tournoi competition in France, where he marked Alan Shearer

He's flown back to Brazil, but he's expected to return to England in the next fortnight to join his new team-mates after they return from the Far East. . Silva will be United's second major signing of the summer, following Teddy Sheringham's £3.5million move from Tottenham last month.

I wonder how bitter that guy is to this day. He pretty much fell off the face of the earth after that. On the verge of a move to United at the age of 29, which would probably have seen him set for life financially as well as playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Instead he ended up playing a couple more years in Brazil before moving to Chile and ultimately retiring at 33.

I doubt a day passes that he doesn't wonder what might have been.

I'd be interested to find out what he's up to now. Would be nice if someone in the English press could track him down for an interview. Might be a bit dangerous though, you don't know what an incident like that can do to a man...

Anyone remember this guy? I believe we were looking at him and Miguel Angel Nadal before we signed Henning Berg.