Extreme Football Forum  |  Football Forums  |  FA Barclaycard Premiership  |  Topic: Transfer Chit Chat and daft deals?

BBC

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson said transfer speculation surrounding Javier Mascherano led to his omission from the team beaten by Manchester City.

The 26-year-old was not in the Reds squad as they lost 3-0 and Hodgson said he might not pick the midfielder until the transfer window ends on 31 August.

Hodgson told BBC Sport: "His head is being turned by Barcelona, who are making overtures to him.

"But until an offer matches our valuation he will stay with us."

He said the sticking-point with Barcelona was that the amount offered was "way, way below" Liverpool's reported £25m valuation of Mascherano.

Hodgson continued: "The player still remains unhappy. He is not interested in the justice of the fee, he just wants to move.

"It makes it uncomfortable for us. It's something to be resolved but certainly Javier was not in the right frame of mind so it was better to play with Lucas and Steven Gerrard, who certainly were committed to the cause."

Before the defeat at Eastlands, Hodgson said he hoped matters would be resolved before the end of the transfer window so he could pick the Argentine again.

Some reports circulating on Monday evening suggested the Catalan giants were offering only £12m for a player who cost Liverpool £18m three and a half seasons ago.

Hodgson has been consistent in conceding Liverpool would let Mascherano leave provided they received the right offer, honouring an agreement the player struck 12 months ago when Barcelona first expressed their interest.

BBC

Birmingham have confirmed they have made an improved bid for Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia.

Blues manager Alex McLeish did not reveal the size of the offer, with the club already having had an £8m bid rejected for the 24-year-old Frenchman.

"We have made another bid for Charles and we wait to see if it's successful or not," said the Scottish boss.

"We're awaiting Wigan's response. At the same time we're in the hands of the gods in terms of the other offers."

BBC

Harry Redknapp has revealed Tottenham are not prepared to meet Sevilla's "crazy" asking price for Luis Fabiano.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has enquired about Fabiano, the 29-year-old Brazilian striker who has said he would "love" to move to White Hart Lane.

Spurs boss Redknapp said: "He's a player I like but they're talking crazy money for him, for a player that age.

"One year left on his contract, in excess of £24-25m, the figures don't stack up. That wouldn't be a goer."

Fabiano caught the eye at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, thriving alongside Robinho in Brazil's attack and finding the net three times before his country were eventually eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.