Real Madrid Give up on David Villa

Real Madrid have already spent 94 million euros for Ronaldo, 65 million for Kaka, and now 35 million for Karim Benzema. Rumors have it that Franck Ribery wants in at the club, and he'll surely require a hefty transfer fee as well. According to Wikipedia (again, my ever reliable source for sports/soccer statistics), Real Madrid have already invested 209 million euros in this transfer window, while only receiving 10 million euros in return for players they've shipped out.

In a startling turn of events (I think at least) Real Madrid have showed they might actually be human by giving up their pursuit to sign striker David Villa. Real Madrid claim that they no longer need Villa for goals since their summer signings so far exceed the necessary requirements (no really...). But I find this as surprising...if they can afford him, why not try and sign him? Valencia needs the cash, and Villa would instantly become Madrid's best striker (over van Nistelrooy, Robben, Raul, Huntelaar...and yes, Benzema).

Will Chelsea or Manchester City now try and buy Villa? City certainly don't need another striker, but Chelsea have yet to make any noise in the transfer market yet. With Pato most likely not joining Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge and Drogba always seemingly on his way out of Chelsea, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see them try and bring him in.

Sam Allardyce: You Cannot be Serious

After losing his best striker to Manchester City earlier this week, Sam Allardyce went public to announce his bid to try and sign Ruud van Nistelrooy at Blackburn.

Did I just read that correctly? Ruud van Nistelrooy, formerly of PSV and Manchester United before signing with Real Madrid...to Blackburn? He may be 32 years old, but according to Wikipedia (always a reliable source for sports at least), he has scored 45 goals in 67 league appearances in Madrid. He's still got it, clearly.

I can understand why Big Sam would try and go after him. Real Madrid's spending spree does not seem to be ending anytime soon, and he will more than likely get pushed out to the fringe of the team.

But Blackburn? They finished 15th last year in the EPL, hardly a league powerhouse. Could they even afford his wages? And who would want to live in Blackburn, anyway?

Transfer Madness

Transfer season is in full swing, and apparently Real Madrid isn't feeling the recession pinch. Real Madrid is no stranger to big spending. When they shelled out 59 million euros (which roughly equates to $94 million), they broke their own record transfer record of 46.7 million euros ($75 million) for Zidane in 2001. And Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer fee of 80 million euros ($131 million) only a couple of days later ensured that Real Madrid would play their next season with the last two FIFA World Player of the Year winners, and they could also boast about having the three most expensive transfers in soccer history.

The transfer window officially opens in Europe on July 1st (meaning these players cannot join their new teams until then), and it closes on August 31st. That leaves a lot a time for clubs to make new signings. With several names being dropped as potential targets for clubs (David Villa, Didier Drogba, and Franck Ribery come to mind), the summer transfer window will continue to make headlines as club look to bolster their squads. Throughout the summer, I will be keeping tabs on this blog of the more significant transfer news. Who will Carlo Ancelotti try and attract to Chelsea this summer? What will Manchester United do with all the profits of selling Ronaldo? Will there be a firesale at relegated Newcastle? And so much more...