Transfer Talk: No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

Adriano is one of the hottest properties on the seas after helping Flamengo win their first title in three and a half decades. “Many offers have arrived already, largely because he’s on a “free”. And in Adriano’s case, “free” means…he’ll probably show up to training some combination of fat, drunk and/or stupid, earn a long suspension for doing something not quite advised on the pitch or maybe go eat hot dogs when he should be at training. So…”free”.

Speaking of, another South American striker on a mid-European season free is Rubin Kazan striker and Russian Player of the Year Alejandro Dominguez. He, much like Adriano, is being pursued by the better part of two leagues – in Alejandro’s case it’s Spain and Italy, with Spain the”preferred destination“. Which is why he’s begun negotiations with Juventus, because Juventus is in Spain.

(Rafael van der Vaart nods silently.)

Also on the soon-to-be-free-agent front, Hoffenheim are looking to keep their ample wallets mostly closed by snapping up Aaron Hunt from Werder Bremen for the summer of ‘10. How prudent.

Arsene Wenger is interested in opening up peace talks with Tottenham in order to lure Roman Pavlyuchenko over to the other side in order for he and Andrei to get back to their Russian best. Clearly they need to hold some sort of contest where the winner gets the opportunity to be a fly on the wall during negotiations.

(His agent may have been joking, but we’ll pretend it to be true if only to dream up the ludicrous French-Levy negotiations.)

Now free agent Sol Campbell has offered himself to Manchester United, as if their current defensive crisis weren’t enough.

Speaking of, Manchester United’s passing on Adem Ljajic has Partizan slapping a For Sale sign on his lawn. “Clubs” are already interested. Narrow down to your liking.

And on the topic of For Sale signs, Roma has put them outside of most of its Brazilians. Come and get ‘em.

Rumors say that Dynamo’s Aleksandr Aliev to Lokomotiv Moscow is done and dusted, and all that awaits is a medical. If so, Lokomotiv will get some of this….

…and some of this…

Chelsea are still supremely confident about that transfer embargo being lifted. Or at least the media are supremely sure Chelsea are supremely sure, because they’ve been linked to an agreement with Luis Suarez for the summer of 2010. Luis Suarez knows not of what they speak, however.

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Category: Transfer Talk, World Football