Palermo players Simon Kjaer and Edinson Cavani are set to join EPL outfit Tottenham Hotspurs after Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini accepted a combined bid worth 28 million Pounds.

It seems like Cavani may not see his dream of playing for treble holders Inter Milan come to pass. Having stated earlier that he would love to stay in Italy and play for the Nerazzurri, Cavani will be heartbroken to learn of his fate.

Cavani is currently on international duty with the Uruguayan national team in South Africa. According to Zamparini, the ‘deal was too good to refuse’. Palermo had a decent Serie A campaign in 2009/2010 to end the season in 5th place.

Cavani emerged as the club’s second top goal scorer with 14 goals behind Fabrizio Miccoli. Losing such a vital player and with no clear replacement might spell doom for the club.

“Tottenham have bid €35m, an offer we cannot refuse, seeing as the two players have both said they want to leave,” Zamparini told Sky Italia television.

“We will reinvest the money for these players,” assured Zamparini. “The midfield is my biggest concern, whereas in defence and attack we are fairly covered.”

Palermo might have the likes of Pastore and Maccarone in attack however, they still lack the fire power to ensure they maintain their impressive record once the new season gets underway.

Massimo Maccarone did not score last season and Pastore only managed to score a paltry 3 goals. So, i fail to see just ‘covered’ Palermo are. Again, the loss of Kjaer in defense will no doubt expose the Rosanero’s defense even more.

With the likes of Milan, Inter and Juventus prepared to spend huge sums of money to bring in some of the best talent, Palermo would be at a loss if they did not replace these crucial players.

Photo credit: from BolognaNotizie.com | BolognaTg24.it

We wrote yesterday that Palermo To Lose Crucial Stars and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani took it a step further today telling reporters that he does not want to move from Palermo to the Premier League, but instead wants to move to Inter Milan.

“As a player I have two dreams: to do well at the World Cup and to wear the shirt of Inter Milan. It would be nice to stay in Italy fighting for the Scudetto and the Champions League with the Nerazzurri.”

Cavani has been impressive in the World Cup so far and he says that he would love to play for Rafa:

“Rafa Benitez? He is a coach who knows how to win and is accustomed to working at prestigious clubs. I think he is a choice in line with the ambition of Inter.”

Asked about the best position for him Cavani had this interesting answer:

“Today I am a striker who can adapt to different roles. Put it this way, I would like to become the Wayne Rooney of Inter Milan. I want to be a striker who can play many roles.”

photo credit: batrax

Danish defender Simon Kjaer and his fellow club mate Edinson Cavani are set to leave Palermo this summer. Palermo had an impressive 2009/2010 Serie A campaign where they missed out on a Champions League spot to rivals Sampdoria.

Drawing interest form a number of top European clubs, Palermo chief Maurizio Zamparini has finally conceded that the pair will no longer be part of their plans in the new season.

Zamparini went further to say that Palermo will milk their sales for all their worth.

“There have been a couple of imporant offers for Kjaer and we are discussing them. I will speak to the player. Kjaer’s value is between €15 and 20 million,”

“I know there have been talks with Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Wolfsburg, but I don’t know about Inter. I have not spoken with them.

“Cavani wants to be sold, he wants another club and so we will not stop him.”

Apparently Kjaer and Cavani are not the only players on the radar of Europe’s top clubs. Spanish giants Real Madrid made an astonishing 25 million Euro offer for Palermo’s gifted midfielder Javier Pastore which however, was quickly rejected by Zamparini.

“Real had made a €25m offer, but I rejected it. I hope Pastore can stay with us for at least two more years,” he added.

“In future it will be hard to keep him at Palermo. But for now he is not for sale at any price.”

With such crucial players on the way out, it remains to be seen whether Palermo will be a force to reckon with in the new season.

Photo credit: from acpika1221

It looks like Palermo’s failure in getting the final Champions League spot last season in serie A has open the transfer gate for their talented players as after loosing Fabio Simplicio, the Rossanero fans must be ready to part ways with Simon Kjaer and Edison Cavani. This unpleasant news is not just some random rumors as it was stated by the club’s president Maurizio Zamparini, who believes that the two youngsters won’t be at the club next summer.

Both players who are involved in the World Cup this season representing their respective countries, have been courted with many big clubs and with the fact Palermo wont be playing in the big European competition next season, opens up the chance for those players to leave. According to what Zamparini said, it looks like he would prefer to sell his two gems outside of Italy as until today he only confirmed the offers that comes from abroad. Moreover, the president also stated that the reason behind the two players’ selling is not the same, as Kjaer has too many offers while Cavani doesn’t want to stay at the club.

“I know of talks with the two Manchester clubs, Tottenham and Wolfsburg. I think it’s a barrage. In my opinion, when certain offers arrive, it’s necessary for the player to leave. A couple of quite important offers have come in. We are discussing them then I will call the player. I must find a replacement. Kjaer’s valuation is between €15m and €20m.” Zamparini explained,“As for Cavani, he is on the market because he wants to be. He wishes to go to another club and we aren’t negotiating with anyone. Anyway, I think that in the end Kjaer and Cavani will leave.”

The potential departure of both Kjaer and Cavani will surely weakened Palermo’s quality for next season, although I believe they will be gambling on another young talent to replace their loss still it would take more time to integrate the new players on the squad. Moreover, I also hope that at least Kjaer would still stay in Serie A as having a young talent like him still playing in the league certainly keeps the league interesting and attractive.

AC Milan still hold onto 3rd place in the Serie A despite losing 1-0 to fierce rivals Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris yesterday. The Rossoneri were lucky that their nearest challenger Sampdoria played out a 1-1 draw with Palermo at the Renzo Barbera stadium to keep them 3 points clear in 3rd place with 1 game left to end the season.

This only makes it harder for Milan as they now have to win next weekend’s game against Juventus at the San Siro if they are to keep their pride intact.  Milan’s Rookie coach Leonardo has been an integral part of their success this season however, a falling out with club president and owner Silvio Berlusconi means that next weekend’s game against the Bianconeri will be his last in charge. Former Milan great Marco Van Basten has been tipped to take over as coach although nothing has been made official yet.

I honestly thought that Milan would win some silverware this season and i know i speak for a majority of the club’s fans when i say that they are losing their status as a competitive club. Even Ronaldinho‘s ingenuity has not been enough to turn their fortunes around. After providing brilliant displays to keep his side in the title hunt, Milan has fizzled out these last few weeks to leave them battling for a spot to represent the nation in top flight European football next season.

Moreover, the future of a number of their stars hangs in the balance. Brazilian play maker Ronaldinho is yet to sign a new contract and club veteran Filipo “Super Pipo” Inzaghi is determined to renew his contract in spite of fan protests. This has not gone down well with a majority of die hard fans who think that his contract renewal will deny younger stars like Ghanaian striker Dominic Adiyiah the opportunity to sharpen his skills. Although grateful for his contribution to Milan, many think that ‘Pipo’ is past his prime.

Milan definitely have to win their last fixture against Juventus next Sunday to keep their pride and end the season on a positive note.

Photo credit: from Franky T @ acmilanblog.net

Looking at Milan’s remaining fixtures, i had started to fear the worst for the Diavolo. Prior to their victory over Fiorentina at the San Siro yesterday, Milan had lost their last 2 matches to Sampdoria and Palermo effectively ending any dreams they had of lifting the scudetto this season.

With Fiorentina, Genoa and Juventus still left to play, i am sure i was not the only worried about the Rossoneri finishing the season in 3rd place. However, Last night’s victory eased my nerves ahead of crucial fixtures against Genoa and Juventus.

To say this victory was important would be an understatement. Milan desperately needed to win to keep the chasing pack of Sampdoria and Palermo from significantly reducing their lead over them. Dinho again  showed why Dunga should include him in his world cup squad as he was at the heart of Milan’s every attack setting up Huntelaar as early as the 8th minute.

10 minutes later and he was at it again this time setting up Borriello with the opportunity to open the scoring but the striker could not make the most of this chance. In the 19th minute, Fiorentina keeper Sebastian Frey pushed Ronaldinho‘s shot away. The teams headed into the break level.

Ronaldinho continued where he left off in the first half as his 62nd minute effort was again denied by Frey. The game however shifted in Milan’s favour after Italy international Borriello was fouled inside the area by Per Kroldrup with 12 minutes left in the game.

Ronaldinho this time made no mistake from the penalty spot as he sent the ball past Frey to make it his 10th goal of the season. Ronaldinho had this to say about Milan’s Victory:

“It is the most important win of our season because it allows us to qualify for the Champions League and look forward to next season with great enthusiasm.”

“I am happy to be doing well for the team and for me,” he smiled.

“Then, if Carlos Dunga will take me to the World Cup all the better.”

Photo credit: from uefacl2009

The official headline is that Inter’s return trip to Sicily ended in a 1-1 draw as Palermo successfully defended their long unbeaten home run.

The real headline is that Inter’s nine point lead over AC Milan has vanished. A Milan win at home to Napoli on Sunday will put them top of the table. If that happens Inter will no longer be in control of its destination. If Milan wins all its remaining games Inter cannot stop them from winning the title. Inter’s dismal run of form in the Serie A continues.

It all started so well for Inter against Palermo. Diego Milito scored from the penalty spot in the 10th minute after Lucio had been brought down by Bovo. The penalty was Milito’s 20th goal of the season.

Four minutes later the lead had gone when Miccoli turned Cambiasso and played a low ball through to Cavani who took a quick touch before shooting past Julio Cesar.

After Palermo’s equaliser the game opened up and it was end-to-end stuff with both sides producing plenty of chances.

Twenty minutes into the second half Mourinho replaced Stankovic with Thiago Motta and introduced Thiago Motta for Santon. The result was a more attacking Inter with opportunities on goal for Sneijder, Eto’o, Cambiasso, Maicon, Samuel, but the ball wouldn’t go in.  Palermo were dangerous on the counter-attack but Cavani wasted great chances to put his team ahead.

The Rosanero came closest in added time when Miccoli directed an his left-wing free kick at the near post, forcing Julio Cesar into a difficult save.  Inter need to get back on form domestically. They are throwing away the Serie A title this season.

Nickname(s): The Pink-Blacks (not very macho)

All-Time Ranking: 20th

2007/2008 Finish: 11th

2008/2009 Position (as of 04/07): 8th

Coach: Davide Bellardini

Key Players: Fabio Liverani, Fabio Simplicio, Edison Cavani

History:

Palermo is one of Serie A’s rising squads and has nearly qualified for the Champions League the last few seasons.  In spite of their recent success, they have historically been a weaker squad and they spent much of their existence in Italy’s lower divisions. In fact, the team has thus far never won a single significant trophy in its 109 year history.

The sale of the club in 2002 though to an owner with deeper pockets has helped Palermo slowly climb the Serie A rankings, and in 2005 ITA National Team star Luca Toni helped the team finish a remarkable sixth overall. This year, Palermo is in 8th place and can still qualify for the UEFA Cup if they can finish strong during the final two months.

American Sports Doppleganger:

Palermo has still never won a major trophy, but they have established themselves as a team on the rise in Serie A. Thus, they remind me of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, who have never won a Super Bowl but finally at least made it to that championship game last season. Only time will tell whether Palermo and the Cards can sustain their success.