January 2012 Transfer News: Tottenham Hotspur, QPR Make Late Deals

Tottenham Hotspur have addressed their concern at striker - ish. Spurs have confirmed the signing of former Manchester United forward Louis Saha from Everton for an undisclosed (although presumably very low) fee. Saha, made completely redundant by the Toffees' purchase of Nikica Jelavic, is out of contract at the end of the season and there's no news on him signing a new deal, so the hope for his new team would be that he's not any worse than Roman Pavlyuchenko, who's expected to leave for Russia fairly shortly.

Whether Saha is still a Premier League player is an open question, but this looks like the acquisition of a warm body more than an impact buy. Emmanuel Adebayor is their number one guy, and if they have to play Saha as a centre forward for an extended period of time, Tottenham are only a little bit less screwed than they would have been if they'd gone on an extended run of Pavlyuchenko. I supposed there's the off chance that he miraculously improves at White Hart Lane, but don't count on it.

For more on Spurs and Everton check out Cartliage Free Captain and Royal Blue Mersey.

The semi-protracted Bobby Zamora transfer saga was finally concluded minutes before the end of Tuesday's transfer deadline, with the striker making the short move from Fulham to Queens Park Rangers, joining Mark Hughes's revolution at Loftus Road. Zamora, who had apparently been reluctant to sign with QPR without receiving a significant increase in his weekly wages, finally managed to work out a deal with his new club and has been introduced as a member of the Hoops.

With Fulham having signed striker Pavel Pogrebnyak from Stuttgart, they were willing to give up the England international, who had spent much of the season feuding with new manager Martin Jol. Zamora has had flashes of brilliance over recent years, but he's been something of a disappointment this season. Hughes will be hoping he and new striker partner Djibril Cisse can form a potent enough attack to see QPR clear of any threat of relegation.

Manchester City have completed the signing of Roma midfield David Pizarro on loan until the end of the season, adding the potential of deploying some creative flair to the centre of the pitch. With the Premier League leaders sometimes overly reliant on David Silva's trickery out wide and Yaya Toure's driving runs in the centre of the pitch, they could use someone like Pizarro, and they got him with minimal effort.

Bizarrely, City's own website seems to think the little Chilean is a holding midfielder rather than a deep creator:

Holding midfielder Pizzaro has made only seven appearances for Roma this season but clearly falls into the Patrick Vieira category for the Blues boss' title push.

Viera's only a foot taller than Pizarro, but they also spelled their own player's name wrong in that release, so I guess I shouldn't have been expecting too much. Anyway, it's a good pickup for City, who despite a loss to Everton today still look like favourites to lift the title this season.

Sunderland continue their talent raid - they've now acquired towering Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos from Wolfsburg on loan until the end of the season. Kyrgiakos, who's had spells with Glasgow Rangers and Liverpool, hasn't featured much for the Bundesliga side this campaign, but with Sunderland in need of some defensive help Martin O'Neill was more than happy to bring him in for the rest of the year:

Sotirios offers a real physical presence, coupled with a wealth of experience, which will be an undoubted benefit to us in the next few months. I'm delighted to welcome him to the club and I'm sure he is looking forward to the challenge of returning to the Premier League.

This is something of a desperation move for the Black Cats, but when most of your defence is down injured for extended periods of time, it makes perfect sense to bring in the likes of Wayne Bridge and Kyrgiakos on loan. There's hardly any risk, and they'll do a reasonable job.

For more on Sunderland, check out Roker Report.

Inter Milan have confirmed the sale of Italy international Thiago Motta to Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain, the 29-year-old midfielder moving on after two and a half seasons with the club which included Inter's famous Champions League victory over Bayern Munich. Motta, a product of Barcelona's youth system, will now join Carlo Ancelotti as part of Leonadro's Parisian revolution as the former Inter boss, backed by quite a lot of financial power from the club's Qatari ownership, attempts to transform PSG into a top European team.

With the fee reported to be around 10M, this is chump change for PSG, who have Motta on a two and a half year deal with an option for a third, but the move will probably mean that the midfield will have to be whittled down in summer. Inter will appreciate the windfall, although they might find that Motta is more difficult to replace than they'd first imagined - he's an incredibly under-appreciated part of that team's success.

The London striker carousel is still in motion. Queens Park Rangers may have confirmed the Djibril Cisse signing, but they're still int he hunt for Bobby Zamora, and their quest to land the Fulham striker has just been made easier by the Cottagers' signing of Pavel Pogrebnyak from Bundesliga side Stuttgart. Pogrebnyak, who's passed a medical and have been granted a work permit, is set to be officially unveiled before the end of the window, and the acquisition of the Russia international frees up Fulham to ditch the out-of-favour Zamora, who's apparently keen to link up with former boss Mark Hughes.

At this point, the main barrier to the Zamora deal's completion is the former Tottenham Hotspur player's wages - his demands have been reported at between £60,000 and £90,000, each a significant raise over the £45,000 per week he's receiving at Fulham. However, considering the friction between him and Martin Jol, it'd be a surprise if he and QPR couldn't come to an arrangement.

For more on Fulham, check out Cottagers Confidential.

AC Milan supporters will surely be thrilled that one of their heroes, Pippo Inzaghi, has turned down offers from other clubs in order to retire in the rossoneri shirt. Siena, freshly returned to Serie A and hovering just a few points above the relegation zone, did their very best to sign Inzaghi, but he just couldn't handle a switch (back) to white and black.

The 38-year-old left Juventus for Milan in 2001, and has scored 72 goals for the club in his eleven seasons. Super Pippo rarely sees the pitch these days, not even being included in Max Allegri's Champions League roster. But he was with the team for two Serie A titles as well as two Champions League trophies. Considering Pippo scored 70 goals in European competition and 315 over the course of his career, there's little wonder that he remains beloved.

Plus, he'll forever remain infamous for his ability to be flagged for offside.

Just in case there was any doubt that Sebastien Le Toux was being traded to the Vancouver Whitecaps, the player himself announced the traded on Twitter Tuesday morning. The Philadelphia Union and Whitecaps confirmed the trade a short while later and noted that the Union received allocation money in the transaction.

Just got traded to Vancouver !Saddest day for me in my Philadelphia Union story.... Still can't believe it

— Sebastien Le Toux (@SebastienLeToux) January 31, 2012

The move ends what can be safely classified as a two-year storybook run for Le Toux and the Union. As recently as 2008, Le Toux was a relatively unknown player in the USL. After a somewhat disappointing first year in MLS with the Seattle Sounders, he was left exposed in the 2010 expansion draft and taken by the Union.

In Philadelphia, Le Toux established himself as one of the league's best scorers and a MVP candidate. In two seasons, he accounted for 45 goals (25 goals, 20 assists) and contributed to 57 percent of the Union's scores. That was good enough to earn him a Premier League trial with Bolton. But various reports have suggested he cut the trial short himself in order to return to MLS. The Union, apparently, had other plans and opted to trade Le Toux's rights instead.

That he's in Vancouver is no small surprise either. If there was one position the Whitecaps seemed to be set at, it was forward. In addition to Designated Player Eric Hassli and former No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick Omar Salgado, the Whitecaps have this year's No. 2 overall draft pick Darren Mattocks and the rights to Camilo Sanvezzo and Etienne Barbara.

"Sebastien is a proven goalscorer and playmaker in Major League Soccer," Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie said in a team release. "He is a durable, fit, and speedy attacker, who is capable of playing either up front or wide in midfield. We’re delighted to bring Sebastien back to the Pacific Northwest and add another quality player to our squad."

From the Union's perspective, it would appear coach Peter Nowak is in full-on youth mode. In Le Toux's place are a group of players that show great promise, but are also extremely young. Danny Mwanga (20), Jack McInerney (19) and Josue Martinez (21) would appear to be their top options at forward. This move, along with Monday's sale of goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, is also expected to give the Union the ability to purchase Jose Torres' full transfer. Nowak alluded to that in comments he made on the Union's website.

"While this decision wasn't easy, we are confident that the allocation money we receive will provide the flexibility for us to compile the best possible roster for 2012 and beyond," Nowak said.

For more on this trade, be sure to check out Union blog Brotherly Game and Whitecaps blog 86 Forever.

Freshly returned to the Premier League, Queens Park Rangers are determined to stay there. Currently sitting in 16th position, just two points above the relegation zone, QPR have stormed transfer deadline day, believing they can stay away from the Championship by securing what those in the know love to call "proven talent." First up? French international Djibril Cisse.

The striker lasted just half a season with Lazio, where he landed after a spell at Panathinaikos. Fellow summer signing Miroslav Klose far outshone Cisse, who scored just one goal in 18 appearances for the Italian side. Edy Reja prefers a single striker these days, leaving little room for Cisse, although he has said the forward will score "10-15 goals in England."

Not sure if Reja means in this half of the season, or in the entirety of Cisse's time in England. In 2008-2009, the striker did manage 10 goals for Sunderland, which must be what QPR are banking on. He has signed a two and a half year contract with the London club.

Bolton Wanderers have been linked to Arsenal youngster Ryo Miyaichi for some time now and they've finally confirmed that they've acquired the 19-year-old on loan for the rest of the season:

Bolton have a reputation for being wizards in the loan market, helping both themselves and their parent clubs with great deals, with England internationals Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge both owing at least part of their current status to Owen Coyle's finishing school after hugely successful loans spells at the Reebok. However, loans are still hit and miss, no matter how good the club is at them, and with Bolton in real danger of being relegated there's a good chance that Miyaichi is passed over in favour of the club's veteran talents.

For more on Bolton and Arsenal, see Lion of Vienna Suite and The Short Fuse respectively.

Tottenham Hotspur's Vedran Corluka has joined Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen on loan for the rest of the season, according to the team's official site. The fullback, 25, has seen his time with Spurs steadily diminish since he played in 41 games during the 2008/09 season, and he's made just seven appearances this year thanks to injuries and the emergence of young England international Kyle Walker at right back as a superior option, which is a bit of a damning indictment of Corluka's abilities.

With Corluka needing playing time and not finding any at Tottenham, it comes as no surprise that he's moving on. The Croatian will presumably be auditioning for a full-time move somewhere, if not necessarily with Leverkusen, and although it's unlikely that he'll be getting a starting spot with the German club, he'll still probably have more opportunity to impress there than he would have had he stayed at White Hart Lane.

For more on Tottenham, check out Cartilage Free Captain.

Despite words to the contrary from Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo earlier today, it appears that the Ligue 1 leaders are on the verge of signing Inter Milan midfielder Thiago Motta before the transfer deadline later today for a €10M fee.

It's difficult to understand why Inter would be so keen to discard a key component of their midfield, even if the fee was a pretty good one. The acquisitions of Freddy Guarin and Angelo Palombo don't necessarily make up for the big gap that will be left behind in Thiago Motta's absence, but Motta isn't a particularly sexy player and those guys tend to be let go of far too easily. PSG, meanwhile, add some needed steel to their midfield.

Much travelled Inter Milan and Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari has a new home, at least temporarily. Having spent the last half of the 2011/11 season on loan at Sunderland, Muntari gets a more glamourous assignment this time out - Inter's crosstown rivals AC Milan have confirmed that they're getting the 27-year-old until the end of the season:

It's not entirely clear what exactly Milan want Muntari for, but if Kevin-Prince Boateng keeps getting hurt his international teammate could slot in for him in the midfield. Milan won't be getting Muntari back until Ghana's Africa Cup of Nations campaign is complete anyway, and considering that they're co-favourites to lift the trophy it could be a while until he makes his second San Siro debut.

Liam Ridgewell's been pining for a return to the Premier League since last summer, and the Birmingham City defender appears to have finally received his wish with his club agreeing a fee with West Bromwich Albion that will send the defender to the Hawthorns. The Baggies had already seen one offer rejected by the Championship club and although things looked touch and go for a little while everything is now settled and Ridgewell is in the process of agreeing personal terms with his new side.

Ridgewell, 27, appeared in almost eighty league games with Aston Villa before famously switching allegiances in the contentious rivalry between Villa and Birmingham City. Now he's adding a third rival to the mix with the WBA swap - we can probably assume that a move to Wolves is somewhere in his future. Roy Hodgson will presumably use Ridgewell in his natural position as a central defender, but he might also be able to unseat Nicky Shorey at left back. The terms of the deal are unconfirmed.

Serie A leaders Juventus have made a move to reinforce their midfield, acquiring Atalanta's Simone Padoin for €5million. Padoin, who played for the Turin club during their 2009/10 preseason tour, is a versatile player who's featured in over 150 matches with Atalanta since 2007. Juventus have signed the 27-year-old to a five year deal.

Acquiring Padoin ends their chase for Cagliari's Belgian midfielder Radja Nainggolan, who was probably a higher priority in the window, but with the Sardinians reluctant to sell Juventus were forced to switch to their backup plan - not that they admitted that when they announced the deal. The main motivation behind the switch, from the Old Lady's point of view, was that Michel Pazienza, who was acquired from Napoli over the summer to fulfill exactly the same role as Padoin, had become a liability and was agitating to move away. This move lets Juventus get rid of him.

Sunderland have confirmed the Wayne Bridge loan deal, which is terribly exciting official transfer news:

Bridge hasn't played since a loan spell at West Ham United during the latter stages of the 2010/11 season, but he should add another option for Martin O'Neill at left back, and as long as City are playing the bulk of his wages won't be too expensive an addition. No, this move isn't going to set the world on fire, but it's a solid one nonetheless for the Black Cats.

For more on Manchester City and Sunderland, check out Bitter and Blue and Roker Report respectively.

Wantaway Fulham striker Bobby Zamora has been given an opportunity to leave the club but stay in the neighbourhood. With Zamora reportedly at odds with Fulham manager Martin Jol, Queens Park Rangers have scented blood, and are apparently very keen on luring the former Tottenham Hotspur man to Loftus Road. At this point, the major stumbling block appears to be the 31-year-old's wage demands - he's asking £90,000 per week to move to the Premier League stragglers.

Zamora would cap a huge rebuilding effort at QPR and become the fifth major new acquisition after Taye Taiwo, Nedum Onuoha, Samba Diakite and Djibril Cisse, although Cisse is yet to be confirmed, and that sort of talent should be enough to steer them away from what would otherwise be a very worrying relegation battle. It remains to be seen if the two sides can come together, although Fulham's interest in Stuttgart's Pavel Pogrebnyak indicates that the Cottagers are getting ready to move on.

For more on Fulham, check out Cottagers Confidential.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly sealed a deal to bring Louis Saha to White Hart Lane. Spurs have been looking for a striker for something like the last ten seasons, and despite the presence of Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Manchester City it was clear that they needed reinforcements up front this window as well. Enter former Manchester United man Louis Saha, who's been with Everton since 2008.

Saha is indeed a striker - and once upon a time he was quite a good one, routinely ending up in double figures for goals scored. Unfortunately for Tottenham, he's also injury prone, 33 years old and on a terrible run of form, making this deal somewhat baffling from their perspective. Spurs should have been in the market for an elite attacker - while the crew of Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko may not have been good enough, it's difficult to see how Saha makes them any better. None of that's stopping Tottenham, who've already finalised a loan deal for an undisclosed sum. Right then.

For more on Spurs and Everton, visit Cartilage Free Captain and Royal Blue Mersey respectively.

Genoa have announced the purchase of half of the rights to Italy under-21 international Ciro Immobile from league leaders Juventus. The striker, who turns 22 in February, has made three appearances for his parent club and has spent his last few years out on loan in the Serie B with Siena, Grosseto and most recently Pescara, where he had scored fifteen goals in just twenty league starts, a phenomenal figure.

Given that sort of return for so young a player, it's hardly a surprise that Genoa were willing to pay 4M for half of his rights. The biggest question around this transfer revolves around where Immobile ends up starting in February. If Genoa plan to use him immediately, Pescara, who are currently in a three-way battle with Sassuolo and Torino for first place in Serie B, could see themselves fall out of the promotion race. Could Juventus have made it easier for Torino to jump back up to the top flight?

Kevin de Bruyne has made his move from Racing Genk to Chelsea complete, signing a five and a half year contract that will keep him at Stamford Bridge through 2017. The 20-year-old completed the deal on Monday when he passed a medical in London, putting the wraps on a €8 million deal that could reach as much as €9.6 million if certain escalators are met. As part of the deal, de Bruyne will be loaned back to Genk for the remainder of the season and will join up with his new club in the summer.

With de Bruyne in tow, Chelsea now have him, Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata as part of their young nucleus of attackers. They're still linked to Lucas Moura too as the club looks to turn their aging squad into a younger, more potent team.

As highly touted as de Bruyne may be, he wasn't in the crosshairs of Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas. de Bruyne was targeted before the manager even took the job and the club made it a priority to sign the Belgian international, but Villas-Boas admitted having no problem with it. The club has a sporting director and this is in line with the organization of the club. When that organization lands you de Bruyne, it's safe to say that all is well.

Inter Milan have found themselves a nice addition to their midfield in the form of Porto's Fredy Guarin. The Colombian will join the club on a loan for €2 million. Inter will also have the option to buy Guarin in the summer for €11 million, which could be seen as protection against the possible sale of Thiago Motta, who has been linked with a move away from the club.

"I am happy to be a new player of Inter," Guarin told Sky Sport Italia on Monday. "But I will wait for tomorrow to vocalize all my happiness."

Guarin was a staple of Porto's team a year ago when they won the treble under Andre Villas-Boas, but Villas-Boas left the club for Chelsea in the summer and Guarin has struggled to find playing time under new manager Vitor Pereira. It made the midfielder's exit from the club virtually assured and several clubs in Serie A were linked to him, but Inter have won out. Now they have themselves another central midfielder who is also capable of playing on the right and a mighty fine one at that.

It looks as though Manchester City left back Wayne Bridge is on the verge of another loan spell. The England international, 31, is apparently join Sunderland for the rest of the season, and according to Sky Sports is about to undergo a medical at the Stadium of Light:

Sunderland were understood to have been in the market for help at fullback, midfield and centre forward, and Bridge solves the first issue pretty handily. Thanks to the enormous wages the City player is on, there's almost no chance of a club actually picking him up on a permanent deal, but he can be a competent enough mercenary, as West Ham found out last year, and the Black Cats have got themselves a nice deal - assuming his parent club is paying the bulk of Bridge's reported £95,000 a week wages.

For more on Manchester City and Sunderland, check out Bitter and Blue and Roker Report respectively.

Inter Milan may have landed Fredy Guarin from Porto, but they're still (for some reason) pursuing midfielder Juraj Kucka from Genoa. Perhaps because Thiago Motta really is on his way out, despite assertions from the club to the contrary?

Either way, Inter have been hot for the Slovakian midfielder for quite some time now, with many believing Kucka would leave in the summer. Kucka has had an up-and-down season at Genoa, almost appearing out of favor under Alberto Malesani. But the 24-year-old still has time on his side, and apparently the nerazzurri believe they'll be the ones to find his consistency of form. Either that, or they simply wish to buy up all the midfielders in the world. It's gotta be one or the other.

With just a few hours to go until the transfer window slams shut, it won't be long until we know where the cards fall in this absurd shuffle.

Sunderland remain in the hunt for Bolton Wanderers striker Kevin Davies, despite having been rebuffed by the Trotters after opening the bidding with a £1M initial offer. With Nicklas Bendtner unavailable due to facial injury and Asamoah Gyan on loan at the UAE, Sunderland find themselves rather low on established Premier League forwards and would be willing to pick up the 34-year-old on a relatively short term deal.

Bolton, meanwhile, are battling against relegation and would be in even deeper trouble should they sell Davies, who despite a relatively poor showing in terms of goals scored this season remains one of Owen Coyle's more reliable performers. The two sides were described as being a ways apart by Black Cats boss Martin O'Neill, who wants Davies to act as a mentor to 18-year-old centre forward Connor Wickham, but he remains confident that there's a good chance that Davies ends up at the Stadium of Light before the transfer window closes.

For more on Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers, visit Roker Report and Lion of Vienna Suite respectively.

It may seem like an insignificant -- and expected -- move, a fullback who has rarely seen the pitch being sent on loan to a team struggling with defense. But to Juventus fans, the news that Marco Motta is apparently on his way to Catania is cause for celebration. Motta came to Juve on loan from Udinese last season, and despite being markedly unimpressive, was signed to a permanent deal with the club.

But then the bianconeri signed Stephan Lichtsteiner, and Motta (and his horrible hair) have rarely been seen since. But until the news that the Sicilian side was set to take him on loan, it seemed like the defender was going to be a permanent fixture at the Old Lady.

With the rossazzurri leaking goals faster than a generic diaper on a newborn, they need all the help they can get at the back. But will Motta be more a hindrance than a help?

After months of being linked to Chelsea, Kevin De Bruyne is finally going to make the move to Stamford Bridge. Reports out of Belgium have confirmed that Racing Genk have agreed to sell the 20-year-old to the Blues for €8 million with escalators that could push the fee to €9.6 million. De Bruyne has already passed his medical and will sign a contract that will keep him at Stamford Bridge through 2017, but first he will finish out the season with Genk after being loaned back to the club through the summer.

De Bruyne already has two caps for Belgium, but it was his play for Genk last season that most impressed observers. He scored five goals and added 16 assists en route to the Belgian Pro League champions, one of the stars in the league's most potent attack.

For Chelsea, this is about reinvigorating an aging squad, especially in the attack where more of their older players are expected to leave the club before long. They signed Juan Mata in the summer and have Daniel Sturridge, but De Bruyne gives them a trio of young attackers and they still have their eyes on Lucas Moura. Before long, Chelsea will look little like the Blues of old and they will be very much Andre Villas-Boas' squad. De Bruyne is just another step in that.

A New England Revolution team that struggled to score a year ago has now lost another key offensive player as Rajko Lekic has signed with a team in Denmark. Lekic never developed into the scoring dynamo the Revolution had hoped he would, but his six goals in 23 appearances were the second highest total on the team and it doesn't appear that there's someone currently on the roster forcing his way into the lineup.

Still, he was probably a touch overpaid at more than $200,000. Even though he was apparently willing to take a pay cut, he was less willing to come back with something less than a guaranteed contract. The Bent Musket believes that was the ultimate sticking point:

The Dane contended that with a family that he had relocated to America hanging in the balance, he couldn't gamble on the possibility that the club could leave him in a lurch come spring time. Frankly, this is a good move on his part. Semi-guaranteed contracts have been a normal practice in MLS since its inception, but nowadays it seems almost disrespectful to sign a guy with Lekic's pedigree to that kind of deal.

Reports are filtering in that Everton and Rangers have come to an agreement over the transfer of 26-year-old Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic to Goodison Park. Although personal terms between the Toffees and Jelavic are yet to be agreed, it looks as though the former Rapid Vienna man will be an Everton player before the close of the transfer window on Tuesday.

Jelavic has played very well in Glasgow, but it's unclear how well he'll fare in the far stronger Premier League. On paper, he's exactly the sort of striker Everton need - he's capable of scoring goals but also creating them, with good technique and the ability to use his physique to hold up the ball. David Moyes's side have been needing a link between midfield and attack, and Jelavic could well provide that. Of course, history's against him - players moving between Scotland and England haven't really fared so well lately.

Former Liverpool and Sunderland striker Djibril Cisse is apparently set to sign with Queens Park Rangers from Lazio before the close of the transfer window on Tuesday, according to several reports. The 30-year-old, who's started 20 games with the Serie A club after two years at Panithanikos, has already agreed personal terms with Rangers, who will pay Lazio £4M to take him to Loftus Road.

Cisse will join QPR's three other new signings - Milan fullback Taye Taiwo, Mali international midfielder Samba Diakite and Manchester City's Nedum Onuoha - at the forefront of Mark Hughes's attempt to guide last season's Championship winners away from the relegation zone and to the safety of mid-table. The injection of quality into the squad should be enough to see Rangers clear of any danger, but if it doesn't Hughes will have plenty of explaining to do. It's not like his new quartet came particularly cheap.

Toronto FC was one of the worst defenses in 2011. On Monday, they made another move toward improving that situation, signing Chilean defender Miguel Aceval. The 29-year-old left back/center back most recently played in the Chilean first division with Universidad de Concepcion, scoring five goals in 30 matches. He made his national team debut on Sept. 4, going 90 minutes against Mexico.

"Miguel is an experienced defender that has a lot of potential and can be very important for our club," Toronto FC Head Coach & Technical Director Aron Winter said in a team release. "Our defence needed to be addressed during the offseason and this signing complements our recent activity from last week."

Aceval would seem capable of helping Toronto FC at either center back or left back and could prove a significant upgrade over either Andy Iro or Danleigh Borman.

For more on the signing, be sure to check out Toronto FC blog Waking the Red.

Philadelphia Union and goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon today announced that they have mutually decided to part ways, allowing for Mondragon to return to his native Colombia and play for Colombian First Division side Deportivo Cali.

Mondragon spent one season in Philadelphia with the Union. He appeared in 27 matches and posted a 62 percent save percentage with seven clean sheets.

Mondragon became the Union's second-ever All-Star representative, starting against Manchester United in the 2011 game. Mondragon fractured his right finger against Real Salt Lake on September 3, sidelining him for seven matches, but he returned for the final two matches of the regular season and the Union's first playoff appearance.

Mondragon capped off his stellar season with a second-place finish in 2011 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year voting, behind only Kasey Keller."It has been an absolute honor and a privilege to be part of the Union family," said Mondragon.

"My time in Philadelphia has proven to be unforgettable, and I am tremendously proud of having led the team for what proved to be a successful 2011. We achieved most of our goals and continued the club's growth into becoming the best club in MLS.

"For family reasons, I have requested the club to allow me the opportunity to finish my career where it started. I am extremely thankful with our fans, especially Sons of Ben, the best fans in MLS, our ownership, technical staff, my teammates and everyone in the city of Philadelphia who always made me feel at home and made the 2011 season one I will never forget. I look forward to coming back to PPL Park as an avid fan and part of the Union family. I wish the club continued success."

Philadelphia currently has one keeper in camp - Zac MacMath - who filled in nicely for Mondragon when he was out for those seven games in 2011. The second year keeper will have large shoes to fill in 2012. Philadelphia will have to scramble to being in some depth behind MacMath.

Liverpool have offered Andy Carroll to Manchester City for Carlos Tevez in a almost unbelievable straight swap deal.

According to this story in The Guardian, Liverpool contacted Manchester City to find out exactly what amount they were looking for in exchange for Carlos Tevez. When the offer of a swap of Carroll for Tevez was discussed, City's Football Administration Officer Brian Marwood immediately shot the deal down.

Carroll has only scored 6 goals in 35 appearances since making the move to Anfield last January. The £35 million transfer from Newcastle made Carroll the eight-most expensive footballer in the world. His lifestyle and training habits have been criticized since the move, most notably by England manager Fabio Capello.

Tevez has seen possible transfers to AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain fall through in the last month. Since his massive falling out with manager Roberto Mancini, Tevez has been persona non grata at City.

Neither player is expected to play any serious amount of football in the next six months.

Hannover have agreed with Manchester United to take Senegal international Mame Biram Diouf on loan as the striker looks for more regular playing time, or any playing time at all really. Diouf still needs to agree to go on loan, but considering how little playing time he is getting at Old Trafford, it is tough to imagine him not agreeing to go.

Hannover sporting director Jorg Schmadtke confirmed the impending signing on Friday, stating, "we have an agreement with Manchester United, but now the player must give us the okay."

Diouf was a fine striker for Molde before United brought him on, but he never found his footing with the Red Devils and has only played in their three Carling Cup matches this season. The 24-year-old spent last season on loan with Blackburn and how looks set for another loan, this time in Germany. He won't be in for an easy run of matches at Hannover either though. Mohammed Abdellaoue is certainly not about to be displaced as starting striker and even displacing Jan Schlaudraff will be difficult so Diouf isn't in for a run of starts anytime soon.

Bolton Wanderers are in desperate need of reinforcements after a rough half-season has seen them look worryingly close to relegation. They've already replaced Chelsea-bound Gary Cahill with MLS defender Tim Ream, and were reportedly on the verge of acquiring the Philadelphia Union's Sebastian Le Toux only to turn him down following a trial. That doesn't mean they're not looking for attacking help, however - rumours are swirling that their sights are now set on Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha.

Zaha is one of England's more exciting young attacking talents, and he's been linked with a move away from the Championship for some time now. It's not entirely clear that Bolton would be a great fit for him, however - Zaha's game is still inconsistent and they're not going to be able to give the 19-year-old the time he needs to develop if results keep going badly. Still, this sounds like the first salvo of general Zaha-to-the-Premier-League rumours, so it's something to keep an eye on.

Juventus have officially announced the signing of Uruguayan defender Martin Caceres from Sevilla, eighteen months after he struggled in a year-long audition with the Serie A side. The deal's been in the works for a few days, but Caceres has now passed his medical and been presented as a Juventus player:

Technically, this is a season-long loan deal with a mandatory option to buy at the end, which is for all intents and purposes a sale with a contract re-negotation for Caceres this summer. While Juve might not necessarily have needed a shakeup in defence - they're undefeated and have conceded a league-low twelve goals - they've very low on depth, are carrying a passenger in Giorgio Chiellini and Caceres has the talent to make this worthwhile. If the rumoured eventual fee of €9.5M is anything like correct, it looks like the Turin side have gotten themselves a bargain here.

Lazio are apparently close to making a move for CSKA Moscow's wantaway star Keisuke Honda. The Japanese ace has been linked to several clubs in this transfer window following an injury-plagued half-season with the Russian side, bit it sounds like he's Romeward bound - Honda himself has admitted that a move is expected, although not completely wrapped up:

It's true that I'm positive about a move to Lazio. The clubs are in the final stage of negotiations. But I haven't made a formal agreement with the club yet, and in today's football world anything can happen up to the last hour of the transfer window.

Lazio are currently fifth in Serie A and have been casting about for reinforcements to keep them clear of Roma and Napoli. In Honda, they've found themselves a fantastic player - his time in Russia and in the World Cup has seen him rise to the status of Asian football's biggest star. Negotiations between the two clubs are not yet complete, but it sounds like this move will probably get done over the weekend.

It looks like Willian is getting closer and closer to a Chelsea move. Shakhtar Donetsk's president already admitted earlier this week that Chelsea had put in a bid for him and now the player has come out and said that he would like to move to Stamford Bridge.

"Chelsea are known as one of the biggest and most successful clubs around," he told The Sun. "To play for them is a challenge I would accept and enjoy. If a deal doesn't go through, I'll understand. But I hope it happens. They have a culture of winning trophies and that excites me.

"I wouldn't have any fears about coming to England because I have played against English sides in the Champions League and studied the English game. To play in a league that is seen throughout the world would be good for my hopes of playing regularly for Brazil, especially with the World Cup at home in two years' time.

Shakhtar already rejected one bid for Willian, but the Blues seem intent on strengthening their squad with youth and the 23-year-old would certainly do that by giving them a skillful attacking midfielder. A young striker will have to join the Blues soon too, but Willian, along with Daniel Sturridge give the Blues a couple very good attacking players to build around for the future.

With Chelsea obviously interested and Willian clearly keen on a move, it appears as if the question now is just the price. Mainly, will Chelsea have to go all the way up to his £29 million release clause? Whatever the price, this one appears to be moving towards a resolution soon with Willian suiting up in blue this February.

The San Jose Earthquakes have stability in goal with Jon Busch and have now made sure that they will continue to have that stability by signing Busch to a new contract. Arguably the only man on the Quakes roster who performed well night in, night out in the last two years, Busch will stay in San Jose and continue to bail out a bad, but improving, defense. Terms of the new contract were not released.

The 35-year-old Busch joined the Earthquakes before last season and helped them to the playoffs and then the conference final with a year that some felt was Goalkeeper of the Year worthy. It wasn't the first year that he has a brilliant year either as he captured Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2008 with the Chicago Fire.

Re-signing Busch was crucial for the Quakes, who lean very heavily on their goalkeeper. Busch made the most saves in MLS last year and while Victor Bernardez will definitely help their defense, no one is expecting San Jose to be the most stingy of defenses. That means that Busch will be busy again and will have to continue his fine career if the Quakes are to return to the playoffs in 2012 after a one-year absence.

The long rumored transfer of Tim Ream to Premier League side Bolton is now complete, as the former New York Red Bulls center back passed his physical and agreed to personal terms on Thursday. Financial terms of the deal were not formally announced, but previous reports have pegged the transfer fee at anywhere between $2.5 million and $3.5 million. The contract Ream signed is reportedly for 3.5 years and will pay him £20,000 pounds per week, a significant raise over the roughly $65,000 a year he was making in MLS.

"We are extremely happy for Tim," Red Bulls general manager Erik Soler said in a team release. "He has worked very hard since he joined Major League Soccer and became a Red Bull and we firmly believe that this opportunity will be beneficial to him and the Red Bulls. This was a difficult decision for us as a club, but at the end of the day, we could not turn down this opportunity to help Tim’s development as a player."

The transfer is the most valuable for a defensive player in MLS history and could be just one of several moves involving MLS players heading to England this offseason. Robbie Rodgers has already joined Leeds United, George John is currently on loan at West Ham and Sebastien Le Toux is on trial at Bolton.

In Ream, Bolton saw a ready replacement for the recently departed Gary Cahill. Manager Owen Coyle has indicated he expects Ream to compete for a starting spot in the relatively near future and while Ream won't be particularly highly paid among fellow Premiership centerbacks, a team like Bolton doesn't spend that kind of money just to fill out the roster.

As a player acquired through the SuperDraft with two years of experience, the Red Bulls will receive half of that transfer fee, $650,000 of which can be spent in to the form of allocation money. Considering they still have an open Designated Player spot, the Red Bulls suddenly have a lot of flexibility to fill what are looking to be some significant roster holes.

For more on this move, be sure to check out Bolton blog Lion of Vienna Suite and Red Bulls blog Once a Metro.

Jean Beausejour is on his way back to the Premier League and he'll be dropped into a familiar place, a relegation battle. The Chilean midfielder, who was relegated with Birmingham City, has been sold to Wigan Athletic and signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Latics that will keep him at the DW Stadium until 2014. The fee was not announced.

"Jean is a player we have been tracking for a long time since he made a huge impression on us with his role for Chile in the World Cup," Wigan manager Roberto Martinez told the club's website. "Now Jean has 18 months of experience in the British game and his dynamism, technical ability and tactical concepts will bring a different dimension into our squad. He is ready to bring his own experience and his energy into the fantastic challenge that as a football club we're facing in the next 16 games of the season.''

That fantastic challenge that Wigan are facing is a stretch that has seen them go eight matches without a win and a spot at the bottom of the Premier League table. They are on just 15 points, but are only four points away from safety. They've scored the fewest goals in the league too, but the addition of Beausejour could help with that and get them a spot in the top division for next year too.

Queens Park Rangers continue their attempt to restock the squad in order to avoid relegation. They've already added Taye Taiwo, have been connected with virtually every centre half around, and now they've apparently sealed a deal with Ligue 1 side Nancy to take midfielder Samba Diakite to Loftus Road.

Diakite, who's currently on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Mali, had previously been linked to a move to Lyon, but they wanted him immediately rather than having him go to Gabon. Diakite, who's a defensive midfielder, won't be available to Mark Hughes and company until the end of the month, but he should be able to step in and shore up a team that desperately needs help. The €4M transfer is supposedly going to be complete very soon.

With Diakate, Taiwo and possibly Nedum Onouha coming in, QPR are going to have a radical makeover at the back. Whether that's enough to stave off the threat of dropping back into the Championship is an open question.

You can cross Inter Milan off the list of potential Carlos Tevez destinations. Manchester City's wantaway striker has been linked to Inter, crosstown rivals AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, but with City pushing for a price which seems completely out of alignment with Tevez's wage demands and recent playing time, clubs really aren't that interested. Inter certainly aren't going to play anymore. Says board member Marco Tronchetti:

Now we're no longer interested in Tevez. He is following a different path. Inter have recovered their champions and there is no need to have him or another, even if Tevez remains a great champion.

Since City are now refusing to continue to pay Tevez's salary, they're not really under any pressure to get rid of him, and if they don't get the money they want for their former captain, one suspects that they'd be more than happy to destroy his career instead. The moral of the story is that you should never refuse to play.

Hoffenheim striker Vedad Ibisevic is being linked with a move to the Mercedes-Benz Arena and VfB Stuttgart. Talks between the two clubs began last week, and Bild is reporting that an agreement has been reached between the two sides. The reported move will see Ibisevic joining Stuttgart for a transfer fee of €5.5m.

Ibisevic's current contract runs through 2013, and contract extension talks with Hoffenheim have stalled. The Bosnian international was rumored to be making a move last summer to English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, but that move never materialized due to a knee injury sustained by the striker. Hoffenheim would like to move him now or next summer to maximize their profit.

A transfer to Stuttgart will see Ibisevic join a strong forward corps consisting of Cacau, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Martin Harnik, and Shinji Okazaki.

Hoffenheim is rumored to be looking at Wolfsburg's Srđan Lakić as his replacement if the move occurs.

Chivas USA opened training camp with just 19 players on their roster, leaving Robin Fraser plenty of work to do as he fills out his team and he took care of some of that work on Tuesday when he signed defender John Valencia and Marvin Iraheta. The Goats still have a lot of work to do before the season opens in seven weeks, but they are now up to 21 players and have made what appear to be two solid additions to their squad.

Valencia comes to Chivas from Atletico Junior, where he helped them win the Colombian league last year. At 6-foot-4, Valencia will be an imposing force along Chivas' back line and provide additional defensive depth to a side short on it at the moment.

"John is a player we have been scouting for some time now," said Chivas USA General Manager, Jose Domene. "He is a great defender that just became champion in Colombia and will help reinforce our backline and help our team win. We are looking forward to his arrival and having him on the Goats squad."

Iraheta is a bit more intriguing. He was a standout for Cosmos West and was named Developmental Academy Player of the Year in 2010, then became a part of the Chivas academy when Cosmos West closed and was absorbed by Chivas. At 19 years old, he's still young and not far off from his youth glory days, but he's yet to appear professionally except for the Cosmos' friendly against Manchester United at Old Trafford and he is stepp into a loaded Goats midfield.

First, there were rumors that Chelsea had bid on Shakhtar Donetsk's Willian, but then the Telegraph shot that down, saying that the Blues had never bid on the Brazilian. It looks like the Telegraph was wrong though because according to Sky Sports News Shakhtar president Sergei Palkin has said that the Blues have indeed bid on Willian. Aren't the transfer windows fun?

"We have received a bid from Chelsea for Willian valued at €20 million," Palkin said. "But he is not for sale."

Considering it's a direct quote from the club president, odds are the Blues have put a bid in, but it does fall well short of the €29 million that Shakhtar value him at. Chelsea have already brought in Gary Cahill this January and while they don't have a chance at winning the Premier League, they do have a battle on their hands for a Champions League spot. There's also the Champions League knockout stages in the spring and the need to replace some aging players on the roster so the Blues have work to do.

With all that, the Willian bid would make sense for Chelsea. As Graham MacAree's of SB Nation's Chelsea blog We Ain't Got No History explains, this one adds up and it won't be much of a surprise if Willian ends up at Stamford Bridge before long.

Anyway, there's enough buzz running around this rumour to make it pretty obvious that there's a real interest in bringing Willian in, and the shape of the rumours and quotes to date means I'm inclined to believe that Willian is indeed for sale and that Chelsea and Shakhtar aren't that far off an agreement. We're probably not going to hit his buyout clause (which has been reported at 'more than £25M' by the Telegraph), but I wouldn't be surprised at this point if a second bid of around £20M is offered and accepted.

Scotland international Kris Boyd will not be joining the Houston Dynamo after all. The Scottish Premier League standout striker has apparently turned down an offer from the Dynamo and will presumably start looking for work back in Europe (via MLSSoccer.com).

"We tried our best to bring him here," Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear told reporters after training on Monday. "Unfortunately I think the move was just something he didn’t want to do in his career right now, but I can’t fault us in being very aggressive in our approach to sign him."

The Dynamo now will have to go back to the drawing board to find a seasoned scorer. That's a void Boyd could have surely filled, as he's scored at just about every stop he's made. Without Boyd, the Dynamo are without a clear No. 1 goal scorer, as no one currently on their roster has ever scored more than six goals during a MLS season.

Check out Dynamo Theory for more news and analysis.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov joined Everton two and a half years ago with great expectations, but the club's third most expensive signing now looks set to leave the club at just half the price he was brought in for. The 26-year-old appears on his way to Russia as Everton and Spartak Moscow finalize the details on a £5 million deal that will end a disappointing run for Bilyaletdinov at Goodison Park.

If a Spartak release is to be believed, "the contract will be signed after the medical examination," indicating the deal is all but done. It's not that Bilyaletdinov was a colossal bust for Everton. He played 77 times since joining the club and wasn't a bad player, but he failed to live up to the expectations heaped upon him when the Toffees bought him for £10 million in August of 2009.

It's not a surprise that David Moyes is cutting ties with Bilyaletdinov. The Toffees strengthened their midfield with Darron Gibson and need cash to add an attacking threat and cover for a defense ravaged by injuries. Bilyaletdinov was the best way to raise the funds to address those concerns, especially after a first half of the season in which the Russian wasn't even a regular first XI choice.

The waiting appears to be over: Tim Ream has reportedly received his United Kingdom work permit and will be able to join Bolton (via @landennisbbc). Assuming the reports are true, Ream would leave the New York Red Bulls on a transfer worth somewhere between $2.5-$3.5 million, which would be a record price for a MLS defender. The only MLS players to fetch a higher price were offensive standouts Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore.

BBC sport understands Bolton Wanderers have been granted a work permit for Tim Ream. #BWFC #MNC

— Ian Dennis (@Iandennisbbc) January 23, 2012

Bolton apparently sees Ream as a direct replacement for Gary Cahill, who recently joined Chelsea. Ream will compete for minutes with the likes of David Wheater and Zat Knight, as Bolton is currently in fight to stave off relegation. Bolton currently sits 17th in the Premiership table, just one point clear of Nos. 18 and 19 Blackburn and Wolverhampton. Wigan, which is currently 20th, is just four points behind Bolton with each team having 16 matches left to play.

For the Red Bulls, this move does not come as a huge shock, but it does highlight a rather significant hole on their backline. If the season were to start today, the starter centerbacks would likely be Stephen Keel and Markus Holgersson. Keel has just 20 starts during his five-year MLS career and Holgersson will be making his MLS debut this year after a successful run in Sweden's top division. The good news is that Ream's transfer should give the Red Bulls enough money to find some more capable talent.

For more on Ream's move, be sure to check out Bolton blog Lion of Vienna Suite and Red Bulls blog Once a Metro.

Oh, poor Catania. First their first-choice goalkeeper, Mariano Andujar, hightails back to Argentina due to a rift with the club's sporting director. And now this, the moment the supporters have been dreading: it seems that striker Maxi Lopez is off to the Premier League, joining Fulham on loan for the rest of the season, with the option to buy at the end of the loan.

Fans of the rossazzurri knew the Argentine was bound to move, but thought, perhaps, they'd manage to keep him until the end of the season. After all, he'd had tears in his eyes when applauding the fans after Catania's final game before the winter break. But then he reappeared, giving hope that he wasn't leaving.

Alas, it appears that Maxi Lopez thinks he's better than the Sicilian club, and Martin Jol believes having twelve forwards at Fulham just isn't enough. It's a match made in heaven, really.

Everyone knows that Alessandro Del Piero's contract ends this summer. While it would be strange to see the Juventus captain playing for another club, it's unlikely that his current team will renew the contract, and Del Piero wants to keep playing. He's said, however, that playing for another team in Italy is almost certainly out of the question.

Enter the Montreal Impact, who will join Major League Soccer in the upcoming season. The new team is looking to make, well, an impact in the MLS, and what better way to do it than signing a big name? After all, it worked for the L.A. Galaxy and New York Red Bulls.

If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. There's no big-name star from Italy playing in North America at the moment. What better way to attract new fans than to snap up the captain of Italy's biggest side? No wonder the amount Montreal is rumored to be offering is $5m per year.

Despite rumors that Didier Drogba would leave in January to join former teammate Nicolas Anelka at Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua, it seems the forward is committed to staying with Chelsea -- until June, that is. Drogba's contract with the Blues is up in the summer, leaving him free to pursue whichever rich clubs wave the right amount of money in his face, which, oddly enough, no longer means Roman Abramovich. Remember the good ol' days, when Chelsea were the only ones throwing money around?

The news makes one wonder -- what was the reaction of Fernando Torres? With the Spaniard finally getting starts in the Premier League, he may have been pumped about Drogba leaving, thinking he may start racking up goals now. But, really, it's not Drogba that keeps Torres from getting the ball in the back of the net, but rather pure unluckiness. Hanging on to Drogs for the rest of the season won't hurt Torres, and it's certainly not going to hurt Chelsea.

Add Villarreal to the list of clubs who are reportedly chasing the signature of Giovani dos Santos. He's spent time on loan at Ipswich, Galatasaray and Racing Santander since coming to Tottenham Hotspur, and he was linked to transfers to both Sevilla and Udinese over the summer. He didn't make a move to either club or any of his previous loan clubs, and he continues to ride the bench for Tottenham. Enter Villarreal, who has been linked to a move for the Mexican international by both Setanta and MARCA, among others.

The rumored price is in the £4-5 million range, which is less than Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has said he wants for him in the past. At this point, however, dos Santos isn't getting into the team and Spurs are probably better off getting some money for him than paying his wages for him to not play. He hasn't established himself in the Premier League, but between his national team performances and his play last season for Racing, this seems like it would be a relatively low-risk move for the Yellow Submarine.

The transfer rumor that wouldn't die may have finally been killed dead. Bayer Leverkusen have dismissed reports that they have bid on Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov or that they are planning to bid for him. Berbatov first made a name for himself in European football at Bayer, where he was one of the best players in the Bundesliga during his final three seasons, before he made a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Berbatov has 47 goals in 105 league games for Manchester United, but he still isn't first choice and has been linked to various moves for the last couple of years. Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan have been linked to moves and Tottenham fans would like him back, but it doesn't appear that Berbatov is going anywhere. He will be the subject of more rumors during the summer, but it looks very likely that the Bulgarian will be sticking around through January.

This is the saga that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends. Juventus have been linked to Sevilla and Uruguay defender Martin Caceres, a former player of theirs, since before the transfer window opened. Their interest is hardly a rumor at this point, but who knows how close this deal is to done. Over at Football Italia, they're saying that talks are set to resume next week, with Daniel Fonseca, Caceres' agent, speaking to Sevilla about a potential move.

Juventus have locked down the right back spot with the signing of Stephan Lichtsteiner, but they need help everywhere along the back line. Caceres is a very versatile player who has played every single position across the back in the last year for Sevilla and Uruguay, and he'd be a fantastic pickup for the Old Lady. It's simply a matter of whether or not they're willing to pay the price that Sevilla demand.

The huge swap of crappy players kind of transfer rumor is the best kind of transfer rumor. A bunch of these come up during every single window and they never go down. This latest one is truly absurd, but on the off chance it's true (and because it's funny), we're going to talk about it. According to a report, Fulham are ready to offer £3 million plus Damien Duff and Chris Baird for West Bromwich Albion striker Peter Odemwingie.

There are lots of things wrong with this. First of all, Fulham continue to be linked to strikers and wingers, despite the presence of a number of quality strikers and wingers on their team. Second of all, West Brom are not completely out of a relegation race, so they have no incentive to sell one of their best players.

As a neutral when it comes to these teams, I want this to happen simply because Odemwingie on Fulham sounds like a lot of fun, but West Brom shouldn't sell him. Also, when will Fulham figure out that they need to spend their money on a central midfielder or three?

After Alexandre Pato turned down a €35m move to PSG, AC Milan pulled out of their deal with Manchester City for wantaway striker Carlos Tevez. While the notorious Kia Joorabchian insists that talks are still ongoing with the rossoneri, crosstown rivals Inter Milan have stepped back into the ring.

President Massimo Moratti admits that there's been contact with City, and now that a move to Milan is not guaranteed, hopes to start discussions after Sunday's Derby Della Madonnina. But will Inter be able to convince Tevez? Milan are convinced the Argentine wants a move to their side of town, but after four months of not playing at City, it seems likely he'll go wherever he'll find a place in the squad.

One thing is nearly certain: come the end of January, Carlitos will be away from Manchester. But whether it will be to Milan, Inter, or even PSG remains to be seen.

If a report from ESPN Soccernet is to be believed, Newcastle are lining up a bid for Blackburn's Junior Hoilett. Rovers are open to the idea of selling the 21-year-old Hoilett despite him being one of the club's lone bright spots this season because his contract expires after the season. Tottenham, Stoke and Bolton have already been linked to the Canadian and now it looks like the Magpies might enter the mix.

"Newcastle might be the club who make a move for Hoilett," a source told Soccernet." That is the buzz around Blackburn at the moment."

Blackburn will have to determine whether Hoilett is the difference between their avoid relegation and staying in the Premier League because no sale of any player can make up for the revenue lost from relegation. Even so, Blackburn manager Steve Kean acknowledges that Hoilett leaving is a real possibility, even if they would like to keep him.

"He has probably taken the opportunity to look elsewhere. I don't know where he is on it. If we can get to a point where he wants to sign then great," the Rovers boss said. "If not, if there is a bid that comes in then we would obviously have to consider that, and the fact that he hadn't signed."

Newcastle could use some help as they try to stay in the race for a spot in Europe. Demba Ba is been rumored to be a target of several big clubs and may have a cheap release clause, which could result in a backbreaking move away from St. James' Park for Newcastle. Even if the Magpies can keep Ba, they saw their form take a major dip in December and know they need to get stronger if they want Europe to remain a realistic goal.

Nobody expected Robbie Rogers to be with the Columbus Crew next year and now it looks like we might know where he'll be. According to Ives Galarcep, Rogers is likely to sign with Leeds United and make the move to England's Championship after turning down the chance to stay in MLS with a new team. If the move happens, it will be a return to Europe for Rogers, who has made no secret of his desire to play there after he started his career with Heerenveen only to make no appearances before spending five years in Columbus.

Rogers' play dipped last year and with it went his playing time, making it a foregone conclusion that he would look to move elsewhere, a move the Crew were happy to give him. He spent much of the winter on trial abroad, including at Leeds, who appear to have seen something they like. Rogers won't be walking into an easy situation though, with Tottenham Hotspur's Andros Townsend on loan and playing well on one wing, Robert Snodgrass on the other wing, Ramon Nunez a wide option and captain Jonny Howson also an attacking player, albeit more centrally. Even with Snodgross and Howson injured, there doesn't appear to be much of an opportunity for Rogers to play unless there are further injuries.

Exactly how Rogers plans on getting a work permit remains a mystery. He certainly doesn't qualify under the work permit rules that require a player to play 75% of his country's national team matches, meaning he will have to appeal for one, but he could argue that he has been a bigger part of the national team under Jurgen Klinsmann. If Klinsmann helps out and pledges to the appeals board to make Rogers a fixture in the squad going forward, maybe Rogers will have a chance, but it appears to be a stretch considering he still had just five caps in 2011.

Kris Boyd may not be a household name among Major League Soccer fans, but his resume should be enough to perk up some ears. The 28-year-old Scotland international is reportedly considering an offer to come to the Houston Dynamo.

We're told Kris Boyd considering offer from MLS Cup finalists Houston Dynamo. Interest from three English clubs too.

— Bryan Swanson (@skysports_bryan) January 10, 2012

Boyd is a player well known to observers of European soccer. As recently as 2009-10, he scored 23 Scottish Premier League goals with Rangers. A year before that, he scored 27. In 143 league matches with the Glasgow giants, he found the back of the net 101 times. During five seasons with Kilmarnock, a much smaller SPL team, he scored 63 times in 153 matches. He's also scored seven goals in 18 senior team caps with Scotland.

The reason Boyd is even available, though, does raise some questions. Boyd is currently unemployed after he reportedly had his contract terminated with Turkey's Eskişehirspor. Boyd claimed to have never been paid by the club and has now started legal proceedings against them.

Prior to his time in Turkey, Boyd spent a season in the English Championship where he played to mixed results. In 37 matches, he scored 12 goals but he did it with two clubs: Middlesborough and Nottingham Forest. Those numbers might not seem bad, but it seems his stint in the Championship was deemed mostly a disappointment and there are signs that his work ethic has been questioned.

Still, it would seem that a player like Boyd could succeed in MLS. He appears to have the kind of size that plays well here, even if he's not a prototypical target forward, and the style of play in the United Kingdom tends to translate.

For more on Boyd's potential signing and all things Dynamo, be sure to check out Dynamo Theory.

Malaga are in search of more talent and they've targeted Borussia Dortmund's Lucas Barrios as their next signing. The striker has had trouble getting playing time, leading him to speak about a possible move away from Dortmund to get on the field. Now Bild is reporting that Malaga may offer Barrios that move, having bid €10 million for the Paraguayan striker, but Dortmund are asking for €12 million.

Backed by their Qatari money, Malaga have made a splash over the last year in hopes of competing for a Champions League spot. Ruud van Nistelrooy Martín Demichelis and Santi Cazorla were brought in last summer, but it has only resulted in seventh place. They are just five points back of fourth place and a Champions League place though, more than enough reason to throw around some more cash in search of Champions League glory.

Barrios has been a star for Dortmund in the last two season combining for 44 goals, but he has battled injuries this season and hasn't even played in half of his team's matches. Even when he has been healthy, Barrios hasn't been able to beat out Robert Lewandowski, leaving him frustrated on the bench. That has also left Dortmund with the option of selling Barrios, knowing that Lewandowski can handle the role without a problem.

Queens Park Rangers bid on both Christopher Samba and Andy Johnson in hopes of strengthening their squad to avoid relegation, but Blackburn and Fulham rejected the bids. QPR are currently on 17 points, one point clear of the drop zone with the third-worst goal difference in the league. Club chairman Tony Fernandes has made statements that imply that manager Neil Warnock's job may be on the line, turning up the pressure to improve the squad.

According to the Guardian, Blackburn turned down a £5 million bid from QPR for Samba, which is half of what they are demanding for the central defender and making QPR either silly or the Guardian's report very wrong. Tottenham Hotspur have also shown interest in Samba, but Blackburn insist that he will not be sold unless their price is met as they can ill afford to lose their best defender as they battle relegation.

Johnson will not be as tough to pry away as Samba because he is out of contract at the end of the year, but QPR didn't come close to matching Fulham's valuation anyways. They bid just £2 million for Johnson, making it easy for Fulham to turn it down.

"What's the point for us – for Fulham, for my club – to sell a player for that sort of money?" Fulham manager Martin Jol said. "To get somebody will cost a lot more money so for me there is no problem. He is still under contract so we have to wait and see.

"If somebody wants him they have to pay a good transfer fee so we can buy another good player. It would not be best for us to sell him to whatever club for a lower fee. Of course he will stay here and if he is not signing he can leave at the end of the season."

Thierry Henry's return to Arsenal is at last official. The New York Red Bulls striker today signed a short-term deal with the Gunners that will have join Arsene Wenger's side until he returns to MLS in late February.

Henry expressed his excitement about the loan in a report on Arsenal's official website.

"Arsenal and me has always been a love story, with some bad days. Hopefully people agree with me that there were more good days than bad, but I just love the Club."

"They say love is blind, but it is difficult for me to say no to Arsenal."

The Gunners are in need of some depth in the attack with Marouane Chamakh set to leave for the African Nations Cup tournament. Henry is Arsenal's record goalscorer and left in 2007 for Barcelona, before joining the Red Bulls in 2010.

The news comes on the heels of Landon Donovan and Omar Gonzalez both going on short term loans in Europe during the off-season. The Red Bulls will now hold their breath for the next two months and hope that Henry's European adventure ends better than the Gonzalez's did.

Henry will join Arsenal immediately and could play this weekend in the Gunner's FA Cup draw against Leeds United. It seems like a great deal for Arsenal, but you have to wonder how good of a deal it is for the Red Bulls who seem to have everything to lose from the loan and nothing to gain.

For more on the Gunners, check out Arsenal blog The Short Fuse.

Michael Ballack returned to Bayer Leverkusen in 2010 with plenty of questions to answer. Battling injury, age and doubts after a rough stint at Chelsea, nobody knew exactly what to expect from Ballack when he joined his old club. Injuries and age have remained a problem at the Bay Arena, but when he's played, he's played well and shown flashes of his old brilliance. The Bay Arena won't be witness to it for much longer though. The club's general manager Rudi Voller said that he expects Ballack to leave the club when his contract expires in the summer.

"At this moment, the trend is he will leave our club come the end of the season," Voller told Sky Deutschland. "I am not expecting this, but things seem to go this way."

Ballack has long been linked to a move to MLS and this summer could be when he finally makes that move. At 35 years old, it would be a shock if Ballack hung up his boots either, while a stay in Germany with another club remains an option.

Catania have confirmed that Fulham have put in a bid for Argentinean striker Maxi Lopez. The 27-year-old has been linked to AC Milan in recent weeks as a fallback option if they cannot secure Carlos Tevez's services and the expectation has been that he will be sold to another Italian club, but now Fulham have jumped in with a bid to try and beat out their Italian competitors.

"On Maxi Lopez there are no developments as yet, but an offer has been received from Fulham and we are evaluating it,'' Catania sporting director Pietro Lo Monaco told Radio Mana Mana. "We are waiting to see what the Italian clubs will do.

"AC Milan are definitely out, while we will see what happens with Fiorentina. Lazio? I don't think they need Maxi.''

There is no word on how much Fulham's bid was worth, but with some stiff competition for the striker, it is certainly to be a decent chunk of change. The Cottagers sure do need help in the goal scoring department too with just 22 goals in 20 Premier League matches this season, although there have been signs of Bryan Ruiz finding his legs in England and it wouldn't be difficult to argue that the club's goal struggles are more a midfield problem than striker problem.

With Bobby Zamora and Martin Jol not on the best of terms and Andy Johnson rumored to be on the way out, adding a striker with 24 goals in 66 Serie A matches like Lopez would be a nice boost for Fulham. Really, any striker would be a nice boost if Zamora and Johnson are both shown the door.

The Columbus Crew are reportedly close to signing Chile international Milovan Mirosevic, according to reports out of Chile. If true, this could be a rather significant signing. The 31-year-old midfielder most recently played for Chile in matches against Uruguay and Paraguay in November World Cup qualifiers. He was a 87th minute substitute against Paraguay and a 67th minute substitute against Uruguay.

Mirosevic most recently played his club soccer at Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates. He had previously played for Universidad Catolica, a team in Chile's first division, where he scored 46 goals in 108 appearances. Mirosevic could play anywhere in the midfield and could provide some scoring punch, something the Crew have lacked in recent years. As recently as the 2009-10 season, Mirosevic was a prolific scorer as he netted 19 goals in 32 league matches.

For the latest MLS transfer rumors, be sure to follow this StoryStream. For more on the Crew, check out Massive Report.

It looks like the Colorado Rapids will finally name a head coach, with FC Dallas academy director Oscar Pareja apparently the man for the job, according to a report in the Denver Post. The move comes with less than two weeks before MLS teams are allowed to open training camp and would signal a significant change in direction for the Rapids.

Assuming this report is true, this would seem to be a positive move for a team that has gained a reputation as one of the more physical in the league under the guidance of former head coach Gary Smith. Pareja is a product of South American soccer, having played professionally in Colombia and for the Colombian national team. At the same time, he's much more of a MLS insider than Smith, logging more than 170 MLS appearances from 1998-2005 and working with Dallas' academy.

The Rapids, who have undergone a rather significant amount of change this offseason, reportedly interviewed Dennis Hamlett, Tom Soehn and Richie Williams in recent weeks. Like Pareja, and unlike Smith, all of these candidates had significant MLS experience.

For more on Pareja's signing, be sure to check out Rapids blog Burgundy Wave and FC Dallas blog Big D Soccer.

What has been a very quite offseason for the New York Red Bulls may finally be heating up if reports out of Sweden are correct. Markus Holgersson has reportedly turned down an offer to remain with his Swedish team in order to join the Red Bulls.

The 6-foot-3 26-year-old would provide some much needed help for the Red Bulls, who are in massive need of center backs. As of right now, the only three players with center back experience on the roster are Rafael Marquez, Tim Ream and Stephen Keel. Marquez is supposedly moving to defensive mid this year and has been rumored to be looking for a move to Mexico and Ream continues to be linked to rumors sending him to Bolton, despite denials from the Red Bulls.

Holgersson's Swedish team Helsinborg is coming off a season in which they won their league title. Holgersson started in 26 of 30 games and earned his first national team call-up for Sweden's friendly against Qatar later this month.

For the latest MLS transfer rumors, be sure to follow this StoryStream. For more on the potential signing, check out Red Bulls blog Once a Metro.

Borussia Monchengladbach star Marco Reus is one of the hottest commodities in German football, though it appears any move the 22-year old German international makes won't happen until this summer.

Reus appears likely to head to Borussia Dortmund (Dortmund is his hometown) but there will be competition from Bayern Munich and possible Real Madrid as well for the forward. Spanish daily AS has been stirring the proverbial pot with reports that Jose Mourinho and his scouts are "keeping an eye" on the young German who has been in sensational form this season at Monchengladbach. After all, 10 goals in 15 matches will usually lead to your name being all over the rumor pages.

If Reus ends up heading to Dortmund, it could open the door for the club to move attacking midfielder Mario Götze who himself has been the subject of some high value transfer rumors. Dortmund remains steadfast for the moment that Götze and fellow popular transfer target Mats Hummels are staying put.

It appears the only real certainty is that Reus won't make a move until the summer...of course, I also didn't think Thierry Henry would go on loan with Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger has made some people feel pretty silly (myself included) by signing Thierry Henry, the club’s record scorer, on a 2-month loan. Wenger himself said back in November that he was not going to sign Henry on loan, even saying that he wasn’t thinking about it one week ago, despite the fact that he said he was thinking about it over Christmas (Arsenal Transfer Rumour Hint: Whenever Arsene Wenger denies everything to do with signing a player, said player is on the radar. If that player isn’t, then he’ll say "I like the player, but he won’t be signing" or something like that).

So, how does Henry help Arsenal? It’s unlikely that he’ll play up front with Robin van Persie. More likely is that Henry will replace Gervinho on the left, taking his role of being an inside forward that scores and creates. Henry has lost some of the brilliant pace, but he still has intelligent movement and good technique, and, is still a very good finisher.

Arsenal still need another centre forward, as Marouane Chamakh has been poor for a year, and Park Ju-Young was last sighted sight-seeing in the Lake District while ‘adapting’ to Premier League life, but at least they have Henry if needs must. Even at 34, he’ll be better than Chamakh and Andrey Arshavin, and he’ll be better than a host of Premier League forwards that Arsenal will be lazily linked to in the coming weeks.

For more on Arsenal, visit our Arsenal blog, The Short Fuse

AC Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani has sent a pretty strong message concerning the rumored transfer of Alexandre Pato to Paris Saint-Germain in January. It's not happening. Today on the Milan Channel, Galliani left little doubt where his club stood on the rumors swirling around the Brazilian striker:

"There is no negotiation going on with Paris Saint-Germain for Pato."

"There has been no contact with the player and none between us and PSG. There is no truth in it. I've been trying to tell the newspapers as much, but they don't believe me."

That's pretty straightforward if you ask me, thought I doubt it will stop speculation from continuing anyway about Pato's future with the Rossoneri. Most of this of course all started thanks to Pato himself hinting at a fallout with Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri and his agent Gilmar Veloz telling L'Equipe his client would be interested in a potential move to PSG.

That's how rumors get started people!

Galliani also mentioned that his club is continuing their pursuit of Manchester City outcast Carlos Tevez, saying they are "just waiting for the negotiations to unblock". That's not really news at this point though.

The Seattle Sounders may not be bringing in the biggest foreign names this offseason, but the transfer rumor mill has once again linked them to a European player. This time, it looks like they are close to signing Christian Sivebaek, a 23-year-old who currently plays for Danish Superliga team Midtjylland. A Danish report even quotes Sivebaek, whose father played for Denmark in the 1986 World Cup, as saying he has agreed to terms with the Sounders. For their part, the Sounders have confirmed interest in the midfielder/full back and acknowledged that he visited the team earlier this month.

Sivebaek has been a starter at Midtjylland, helping lead the team to top six finishes in each of the past three years, but this year appears to have fallen out of favor. A couple of injuries may have contributed to his playing in just 3 of 18 league matches this season.

The Sounders would most likely be looking at Sivebaek as more of an insurance policy at several positions. While their starting XI seems pretty set, Sivebaek could find himself in competition for minutes in the midfield and on defense.

Sivebaek would be the third player the Sounders have signed from Europe this offseason. It has already been announced that they signed former Austrian international goalkeeper Michael Gspurning and Swedish international Adam Johansson has been all but officially announced as being signed.

For more analysis of what Sivebaek's signing could mean, check out Sounders blog Sounder at Heart.

It would appear that the Spanish giants Real Madrid are chasing 21-year old Gremio central defender/full back Mario Fernandes. This rumor seems to have some legs considering it came directly from the mouth of Gremio sporting director Paulo Pelaipe. Always a better source than some drivel in the Daily Mail or something...not that I'm trying to single anyone out of course.

Pelaipe's comments were made during an interview on the radio station Cadena COPE. He stated that his club are waiting to see what Madrid offer before deciding on a course of action. He also revealed that a €12 million bid from CSKA Moscow has already been rejected. If the likes of Madrid are hovering around for the services of Fernandes, Gremio and Pelaipe are smart to wait things out a bit. Pelaipe also mentioned there is interest from the wonderfully cryptic, "several Italian teams". Well played sir.

There's no question there is serious for interest for Fernandes services, he's been linked with major clubs across the globe including Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Juventus, Internazionale, FC Barcelona F.C.Porto, Ajax and of course Madrid. I think it's pretty clear that Pelaipe knows what he has on his hands with Fernandes and he's making a clever and strategic move to "encourage" whatever interest is out there in an attempt to maximize his clubs profit from a potential transfer. Nothing wrong with playing the game.

Real Madrid did respond with an official statement, apparently reacting to Pelaipe's statements and the subsequent media reports:

Given the information published about a supposed interest of our club to incorporate the player Mário Fernandes, Real Madrid CF denies that has been in contact with his club and has made an offer for their rights.

Essentially it sounds like Gremio will be content to wait until the transfer window opens in January and see if their sporting director's comments can incite a potentially beneficial bidding war for the young Brazilian. Honestly, why not considering all the apparent interest that is out there.

Fernandes began his youth career with São Caetano before joining Gremio in 2006. He made is first team debut in 2009 and has since made 41 appearances for the Brazilian club.

For more on Los Merengues, check out Real Madrid blog Managing Madrid.

As often happens during the transfer season, a less than reputable source will throw out a tempting bone for the rest of the media to chew on. It really doesn't matter whether the rumor is grounded in truth or if it's the figment of a writer's imagination whose editors are desperate for page views, these things tend to spread like wildfire across a dry grassland. Such is the case this morning with a report from The Daily Mail claiming that Arsenal are about to offer New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry a two month loan deal to make a cameo-like return to the Emirates.

There are of course no reputable sources in the story, meaning it's flimsy conjecture at best built upon a foundation of reaching for conclusions based on the lone fact that Henry has been hanging around Arsenal for the past few weeks and that the club could use some help up front. Of course, that doesn't mean it couldn't happen considering fellow MLS start Landon Donovan is doing the same thing with Everton.

The real question for me is why would the Red Bulls agree to this? Henry is young at heart but his body is another story. They will desperately need their expensive star this coming season so allowing him to risk injury in the EPL for two months just doesn't seem like a logical move. Then again, could they really stop him if he wanted to make the deal?

Anyway, if you're bored, check out the Daily Mail's artfully done fluff piece filled with several YouTube videos and repeated proclamations of Henry's legendary status with the Gunners. It's sure to bring a tear to the eyes of all supporters of the North London club. As for a solid factual base, not so much...so of course Piers Morgan is talking about it.

For more on the Gunners, check out Arsenal blog The Short Fuse.

Dimitar Berbatov could be on the verge of a return to Bayer Leverkusen and this is not just an idle rumor. The Manchester United striker's representatives have told Bild that they have been in contact with the German club and Bayer have confirmed contact with Berbatov's representatives.

"Leverkusen have it on their minds to get Berbatov," Ivan Dobrinov, a member of the group which represents Berbatov, told Bild. "There is contact, but nothing concrete yet. It all depends on United's plans. We wait until 2 January."

"Until then, United have the option but if that does not happen then Berbatov would be a free transfer in the summer. The player has never forgotten Leverkusen, the club is still very dear to him. Furthermore, he has a good relationship with the leadership at Bayer."

Berbatov has been on the outs at United, starting just twice this season, but he did pick up a hat trick on Boxing Day to remind everyone of his incredible skill. His contract at Old Trafford expires in the summer too, meaning that unless United pick up a one-year option in his contract he can start discussing a a free transfer in January.

Leverkusen's chief Wolfgang Holzhauser confirmed contact with Berbatov's representatives, but acknowledged that he was under the impression that United wanted to extend Berbatov's deal. The striker spent five years with Leverkusen before joining Tottenham Hotspur, then Manchester United, scoring 69 goals for the German club and helping them to the 2001-2002 UEFA Champions League final.

At times during this season, Arsenal has seemed to lack a certain quality in midfield when Alex Song has been unavailable for selection. It seems like the Gunners have been looking for the new Vieira since Patrick Vieira moved on, and while Song might fill that void, there isn't much behind him other than Emmanuel Frimpong. It should be no surprise, then, that rumor websites and foreign papers have begun linking Arsenal to various midfielders. Today, it's Sao Paolo defensive midfielder Casemiro.

Sao Paolo didn't have an excellent tournament, while Casemiro was in and out of the squad. He had some fitness issues, but there have been rumors floating around that his injuries and fitness issues have more to do with just plain bad luck. In any event, he put in some brilliant performances and is probably on the verge of a move to Europe. The Sambafoot article linked above says that Arsenal have been quoted a price of £10 million, but they'll probably be looking to spend a bit less than that for a player who was not terribly consistent in the Brasileirao.

For more on the Gunners, check out Arsenal blog The Short Fuse.

Juventus have finally returned to what their supporters would call their rightful place, the top of the table in Serie A. The combination of the hiring of Antonio Conte, some astute signings and some time back in the top flight have led Juventus back to prominence, and they look like they will return to playing Champions League football next season. However, they are a team in need of strengthening, and it appears that the board is willing to spend in order to insure the the team is strong enough to win the Scudetto.

According to Gazetto Dello Sport, Roma striker Marco Borriello and Sevilla defender Martin Caceres are among their targets. While both are quality players and it's plausible that they would like to move to Juventus, it's tough to figure out why the Old Lady would want to buy them. Up top, Alessandro Matri is in great form, while Fabio Quagliarella is just coming back to full fitness. Where Borriello fits in isn't exactly clear.

The Caceres link is even more curious. Juventus could use some help at central defense and left back, but Caceres has played more right back than anything recently. Juventus are solidified at that position, where Stephan Lichtsteiner is having a spectacular year. Juventus could be lining up Caceres as a central defender, but with the amount of time he's spent as a fullback for both club and country in the last two years, there surely have to be better targets.

Omar Bravo says he is leaving Sporting Kansas City because of problems with coach Peter Vermes, according to ESPN Deportes' Jorge Ramos. Bravo's problems with Vermes have been a poorly kept secret for quite some time, and they seem to have been exasperated when he was benched for Sporting's Eastern Conference final against the Houston Dynamo. Despite declaring himself fit, Bravo did not enter that game until the 85th minute.

The report did not say whether or not Bravo would definitely leave MLS, but did seem to suggest that a return to Mexico would be his most likely destination. Bravo scored more than 100 goals during 10 seasons in the Mexican Primera, most of them with Chivas de Guadalajara. During his one season with Sporting, Bravo scored nine goals, but did seem to struggle at times with the physical nature of the league and battled several injuries.

For more on Bravo's future, be sure to check out Sporting KC blog The Daily Wiz.

Lee Young-pyo says he has signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps for one year with an option for another year. The 34-year-old full back is the second-most capped player in South Korea's history and has played for such clubs as Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund. He arrived in Vancouver on Sunday, but the team has yet to make an official announcement.

"I've been impressed with the professional of the club and how it is run," Lee told reporters in Korea . "From next year, I will do my best to help my new team get some good results."

During an interview on the podcast "It's Called Football," Whitecaps President Bob Lenarduzzi seemed to indicate that Young-pyo would be the team's second Designated Player. If true, that would make Young-pyo the backline player to be signed as a DP. Although Rafael Marquez was eventually moved to center back, he had originally been signed to play as a central midfielder.

Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson has already earned himself a reputation as one of the more accessible owners in Major League Soccer. Since joining the league last year, he has gained a reputation for sharing a level of insight into the team that's rare for American sports owners. His latest salvo was news that the Timbers were close to signing a 19-year-old who would be a Designated Player.

Considering the Timbers' history with Colombian players, speculation began that the player was likely from there. Soon enough, another tweet came out from Colombian club Santa Fe FC that strongly indicated that player was Jose Adolfo Valencia, the son of former MLS player Adolfo "El Tren" Valencia player. The rough translation of this Tweet is that Valencia is leaving Santa Fe to join the Timbers:

Signing Valencia would certainly be an interesting and bold move on the part of the Timbers. He would be the first player signed under MLS's reworked DP rule, which means he would count just $150,000 against the salary cap without having to pay it down with allocation money. FC Dallas' Fabian Castillo also falls under this rule, but he was signed before the rule was actually put into place.

Similar to Castillo, Valencia's probably best known for his play on Colombia's youth national teams more than anything he's done at the club level. Valencia has played for Santa Fe, a first-division team in Colombia, but just how much he has played differs wildly depending on where you look. He did make five appearances in last year's U-20 World Cup, scoring one goal.

Assuming he is the player the Timbers are signing, he could very well be brought along slowly. The 6-foot-1 forward could eventually make for a decent pairing with fellow Colombian Jorge Perlaza, who scored six goals in 31 games during his first MLS season in 2011.

For more on the Timbers' offseason moves, be sure to check out Timbers blog Stumptown Footy.