Check here throughout the day, as we’ll be following the moving targets that are January’s transfer rumors.
7 p.m.: The Guardiola appointment took up most of the afternoon, so we’ll finish the day with a David Beckham update.
Sky Sports reports AC Milan’s vice-president Adriano Galliani has no interest in bringing the former England captain to the Italian club for a third time.
“Speaking to Gazzetta.it, Galliani said he was ‘99.9 percent’ sure the move would not happen,” the report says.
Beckham spent loan spells at Milan in 2009 and 2010, but a lot has changed at the storied Italian club since then. Austerity, not celebrity rules the day — not only in Milan but throughout Serie A.
That’s all for Jan. 16. We’ll pick up the roundup on Jan. 17, so make sure to check NESN.com for the latest transfer news and rumors.
12:25 p.m.: Guardiola’s appointment is official. Bayern said it has added an “expert” who will help the club find success in the coming years.
We’re working on some analysis that we’ll link to in this space.
In short, it’s a good move for him. Guardiola’s Barca experience showed that he can succeed at a club with a rich tradition, strong squad and money to spend.
If he plays internal politics properly, he shouldn’t have any problem keeping Bayern in contention for Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League titles in the coming years.
11 a.m.: Hours after telling everyone how much he wants to manage an English club, Guardiola is going to Bayern Munich.
The German club announced that Guardiola will take charge at the start of next season. He signed a contract which expires in 2016.
He’ll replace Jupp Heynckes, who will step down at the end of the season.
10:50 a.m.: Peter Odemwingie is in Harry Redknapp’s sights. The West Brom striker is a QPR target, but his current club has no interest in selling him.
QPR made an offer that West Brom turned down. Odemwingie thinks it was good enough, and he’s ready to request a transfer to force a move, according to Sky Sports.
“If nothing else materializes then it is understood that, as a ‘last resort,’ Odemwingie is prepared to hand in a formal transfer request to try and push through a move to Loftus Road,” the report says.
The 31-year-old has four league goals to his credit this season. He would join Redknapp and Loic Remy at QPR, as the West London club fights relegation.
10:30 a.m.: Montpellier would like to sell Younes Belhanda in January, but the French club hasn’t received an offer from interested clubs such as Tottenham or Arsenal.
Turkey’s Fenerbache made a bid for the Moroccan playmaker, but Montpellier chairman Louis Nicollin didn’t think much of the offer, according to Sky Sports.
“Tottenham’s interest? There has been nothing official as yet, but I would like there to be,” Nicollin reportedly told L’Equipe. “If a good offer arrives, he will leave. We can live without him and he can live without us.
“Nothing has evolved,” he said about talks with Fenerbahce. “They wanted to pay us in three installments. They can keep their money.”
The French club has had trouble repeating last season’s feats, and it is ready to cash in on Belhanda to fund a rebuilding project.
10 a.m.: Loic Remy’s transfer from Olympique Marseille to QPR is complete. The Premier League club announced the signing Wednesday, the Telegraph reports.
The 26-year-old reportedly cost a club-record £8 million ($12.8 million). He signed a four-and-a-half year deal which pays him around £75,000 a week.
“He’s always been a player I’ve admired,” QPR manager Harry Redknapp said. “I’ve watched him on so many occasions throughout the last few years. I actually spent three or four hours with him last year so he knew what I thought of him, and I think that was important.
“He’s quick, can score goals and makes great runs. His movement is excellent. He’s got the potential to be a really outstanding striker.”
Last week, it looked like Remy would join Newcastle, but QPR swooped in and hijacked the deal. The developments heap more misery on Newcastle, as Remy was tipped to replace Demba Ba in the Magpies’ attack. The speedy French forward will now be central to QPR’s fight against relegation.
9:35 a.m.: Joey Barton is making a good impression in France. The on-loan Queens Park Rangers (QPR) midfielder has earned the admiration of new colleagues with his professionalism. Sky Sports reports Olympique Marseille is hoping to extend his loan, which runs through the end of this season.
“We haven’t started the discussions yet with QPR but he’s a likeable lad and we want to keep him, although we have no guarantees,” Marseille’s sporting director Jose Anigo said. “We have very good relations with QPR and extending the loan could be in the cards.
“He likes it in Marseille, he loves this city, which breathes football. He has a good attitude. He’s a good professional in his work and in his day-to-day commitment. A lot of French players should take their example from him.”
Barton left England in shame after he melted down and tried to spark a brawl during the final game of the 2011-12 season. The FA hit him with a 12-game ban, which France’s Football Association (FFA) enforced. Barton went right into Marseille’s starting lineup once he became eligible, taking up a place in the central midfield.
8:30 a.m. ET: Pep Guardiola is in the process of choosing his next job, and all signs point to Manchester City. The former Barcelona manager expressed his desire to lead an English club Wednesday. He said English soccer presents a unique challenge he hopes to face during his managerial career, according to the BBC.
“As a player I couldn’t realize my dream to play there [in England],” he said. “But I hope in the future, I have a challenge to be a coach or a manager there.
“It is unique, to play in that league. I want to feel the supporters, the environment, the media and the style of the players and everything. I am still young, just 41, so I hope in the future I could be able to train there and enjoy that.”
Guardiola is halfway through a one-year sabbatical he took after leaving Barcelona at the end of the last season. He is living in New York City with his family, but he and his agents have been in contact with some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Chelsea, AS Roma, AC Milan and Bayern Munich are interested in landing the most in-demand manager in the world, but City may have the inside track. In recent months, Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano have joined City from Barcelona as director of football and chief executive respectively. They were directors at Barcelona when Guardiola was installed as manager, working closely with him to achieve great success.
Current City manager Roberto Mancini is in a tight spot. His club crashed out of the UEFA Champions League and now trails Manchester United by seven points in the Premier League. If City fails to retain its Premier League title, Mancini could pay for it with his job, paving the way for Guardiola to step into the breach.
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