No Man City switch for RVP!

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has come out and said that he does not expect Robin Van Persie to make the switch to Manchester City this summer.

Van Persie's current contract expires next summer and he has already stated that he will not be signing a new contract with Arsenal.

Manchester United, Manchester City as well as the Serie A champions Juventus have all made bids which have failed to meet Arsenal's asking price for the 29 year old Dutch striker. And in an interview Roberto Mancini said: "Van Persie? No, I don't think he will come here."

Van Persie has been included in the Arsenal squad which will travel for the club's preseason training camp this week in Germany. Though, it remains to be seen if he will be in the team to play Cologne on Sunday.

Even though City, United and Juventus have all made bids it is unlikely that Arsenal will let their captain leave for anything less than £25 million. City appear to have given up the chase for the Dutchman, though, United and Juventus are still on the pursuit for the striker but have not increased their opening bids.

Although the move to the Premier League champions would be tempting, it is understood that Van Persie has "expressed a preference for the prestige and tradition of United and Juventus."

Last season Van Persie won the Professional Footballers' Association and Football Writers' Association player of the year awards due to his 36 goals for the Gunners last season. Arsenal definitely look set to lose Van Persie, though, they are on the verge of sealing a permanent deal for Malaga's Santi Cazorla as well as a season long loan deal for Real Madrid's Nuri Sahin.

Arsenal look set to lose their captain as well as talisman and either United or Juventus look set to gain an exceptional striker who has the knack for scoring some truly spectacular and important goals. Though, whatever the outcome it would be great to finally put this RVP situation to bed.

Liverpool ready to pounce on Walcott!

Liverpool are ready to pounce on Arsenal and England winger Theo Walcott, though they face tough competition from Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea.

The winger has a year left on his contract with Arsenal and could follow star striker Robin Van Persie out the exit door at the Emirates if the club refuse to raise his wages to £100 000 a week.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is apparently pondering a bid for the pacy winger and could use the money from a possible sale of Andy Carroll to pay for the deal.
Carroll may find opportunities hard to come by because of the way Brendan Rodgers sets out his teams, plus he has already got Luiz Suarez and he's just completed the signing of Fabio Borini, who has played under Rodgers at Swansea City.

Rodgers has also failed to give any assurances about Carroll's prospects at the club when asked last week. Personally I doubt that Carroll's physical and powerful approach would fit in with intricate passing style which Rodgers favors and which has also worked for Rodgers last season at Swansea City.

Though, it looks unlikely that Liverpool would allow him to leave Anfield unless they receive a suitable bid for the striker or or loan deal with a commitment to make the deal permanent after 12 months.

Personally I feel Walcott would be good addition at Anfield as they lack any real pace, besides Stewart Downing, and Walcott is also accustomed to Rodgers intricate passing style.
The Arsenal and England winger has also attracted some interest from big spending Paris Sait-Germain as well as Chelsea.

Shawcross to switch to Wales?

New Welsh manager Chris Coleman looks to strengthen his side by calling up Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross. Chris Coleman will consult his captain, Aaron Ramsey, on whether to make the decision to include Shawcross in the squad but admitted that Ramsey could be reluctant to play alongside the Stoke City defender.

But considering the fact that Shawcross's tackle on Ramsey, during a Premier League fixture between Stoke City and Arsenal in 2010, resulted in his leg being broken in six places he would be reluctant to play alongside the defender.

Shawcross, who is English, qualifies to play for Wales after spending the five years of compulsory education in Wales. Though Shawcross has stated that he does not want play for Wales and prefers to attempt to break into the England squad.
Coleman is also looking at recruiting Cardiff City defender Ben Turner and Swansea City right-back Angel Rangel. Rangel, although born in Spain, qualifies on the grounds of residency while Turner qualifies due through his grandparents who are Welsh. Coleman believes these players are good players who could possibly strengthen Wales.