Sevilla play hard to get over Baptista…
20 comments July 5th, 2005
The Spanish club have, apparently, rejected a bid that could have been worth up to £8m. On a more promising note, however, President del Nido has remarked that, “We have very good relations with Arsenal after the Reyes transfer”. Huzzah.
The Times suggest that any deal could be accelerated tomorrow if Sevilla complete the £6m purchase of Luis Fabiano from Porto. Our interest in Baptista is very real, very concrete, and very likely, one would hope, to result in his arrival in time for the final season at Highbury.
Don’t listen to anyone’s work permit concerns – if Yakubu Ayiegbeni can get one, Julio Baptista can too.
17 year old goalkeeper Vito Mannone looks certain to sign from Atalanta, but I still suspect we might add a more experienced goalkeeper now that Stuart Taylor has gone. Sporting Lisbon’s Ricardo appears to be a name in the mix.
I imagine the press will spend this week linking us to him, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and possibly even Steven Gerrard.
Ricardo is the only one of those three that is remotely likely to happen.
