Soccer’s Big Five: Who’s Going Where?

Amir Farha, from Sao Paulo, writes in his column in Brazil’s IG website, that “In times of financial crisis, in most leagues, few clubs have the financial conditions to make big buys, however a small and powerful group can, these being mainly English clubs along with the Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona”. Outside this clique, only Italian astro-clubs like AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus can get a look-in. Have money, can buy.

Photo: Soccer’s Big Five: Who’s Going Where?

Who are the Big Five and who are they going to buy?

Top of the shopping list is Uruguay and Atlético Madrid’s striker Diego Forlan, 31 years old, best player at FIFA 2010. Starting in Uruguay, he represented Peñarol and Danubio, then went to Argentina’s Independiente and from there to Manchester United. Finding it difficult to get a permanent place in the team, he was transferred to Spanish side Villarreal in 2004 and here, his career took off. In 2004-2005, he won the European Golden Boot (best scorer, shared with French striker Thierry Henry) and took his club to the semi-finals of the Champions League. In 2007, he was transferred to Atlético de Madrid and in 2008-2009, received his second Golden Boot, scoring 35 goals in 45 matches. In 2010, he scored the two goals which won the UEFA Cup for Atlético against Fulham (2-1). It is not surprising that Italian club Juventus wishes to spend 20 million EURO on the Uruguay ace.

Second on the list is Bosnia’s Dzeko (24), unsettled at Wolfsburg, the Bundesliga club he helped win the title in 2008-2009. Waiting in the wings are England’s two Manchester clubs, United and City, ready to pick up the 35 million-EURO price tag.

Manchester United is also interested in Brazilian striker Luís Fabiano (29), unhappy at Spain’s Sevilla, along with Premier League rival Tottenham Hotspur FC and Italy’s AC Milan, all ready to pay 20 million EUR.

Fabiano’s team-mate Maicon (29) is high on the shopping list for José Mourinho’s Real Madrid, for whom the 30 million EUR tag should pose few problems, since the shirt Sales from one single pre-season tour in a densely populated soccer-loving country would not only pay His fee but also His salary.

Germany’s Khedira, 23 years old, is the fifth and last member of the Big Five. Stuttgart’s selling price is ten million Euro, peanuts for first-in-the-line shoppers Chelsea FC and Real Madrid.

Translated from the Portuguese version of PRAVDA.Ru

Aleksei FEDEROV