Newcastle Will Wait Until The Summer for Edmilson

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed that he is content to wait until the end of the season to sign Barcelona defender/midfielder Edmilson.

The Premiership side had been expected to make a move for Edmilson in January, but concerns over his fitness have necessitated the wait until the end of the season.

Allardyce explained:

"I am afraid he is now not an option for us in January. He has not played at all this season and it would be too much of a risk to bring him here next month."

Edmilson, 31, will be available on a free transfer in the summer when his Barcelona contract expires and Newcastle are likely to face competition from a number of sides for his signature at that time.

Newcastle Target Edmilson Expects to Leave Barcelona

Brazilian defender/midfielder Edmilson has admitted that he will not be signing a new contract once his current deal with the Catalan giants expires this summer.

Edmilson was thought to have been targeted by both Newcastle and AC Milan during this summer just gone, but a move did not materialize due to a knee injury which he is yet to recover from.

He was part of the Brazil side that won the 2002 World Cup and has been capped forty-two times by his country, scoring once.

Clubs interested in Edmilson will be able to discuss a pre-contract arrangement with him in January, to move on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Weekend Transfer Gossip

First off, The News of the World reports that Newcastle have made an enquiry about Barcelona's Ronaldinho. The Catalan club are thought to have quoted a figure of no less than £58m. Newcastle chairman Mike Ashley is apparently keen to bring a 'marquee' player to St James's Park, so it will be interesting to see how this one develops.

Edmilson is, once again, linked to Newcastle in the same article.

Argentine defender Roberto Ayala and performed a shock u-turn by buying himself out of his recently signed Villarreal contract and signing for Real Zaragoza instead. Sky Sports report that he will sign a three year deal with the club after the Copa America.

Marca (Spanish link) report that officials from Galatasaray are in Madrid to discuss with Real the possible transfer of Julio Baptista to the Turkish club.

Marca (Spanish link) also report that Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson is looking to sign Thiago Motta from Barcelona.

Boca Juniors manager Miguel Angel Rosso has spoken in Ole (Spanish link) about his hopes that the club can retain Juan Riquelme for next season. He believes the departure of Daniel Diaz to Getafe may give Boca the necessary finance to purchase the player from Villarreal on a permanant basis.

Finally, the Gazetta Della Sport (Italian link) report that Amantino Mancini's agent Gilmar Veloz is to hold talks with Roma on Monday over an improved deal for the Brazilian. If the talks do not go as planned, it seems that Liverpool are waiting in the wings to offer somewhere in the region of 15million Euros for the winger.

Friday Transfer Rumours

First off, Celto Vigo's Brazilian forward Nene seems to be keen on a move to the English Premiership, as reported by Sky Sports. Blackburn seem to be the side most heavily linked with the player, with a transfer expected to happen once Nene has received confirmation of his Spanish citizenship.

Another Brazilian linked with a move is Barcelona defender/midfielder Edmilson, who the Daily Star are linking with a free transfer move to Newcastle.

The BBC is reporting that Carlos Tevez has rejected a move to Inter Milan after they elected to put a time constraint on his decision whether to join them. Tevez's representive/owner Kia Joorabchian is quoted as saying that "Carlos' heart is really in the Premier League", which also seemingly rules out the possibility of a move to Real Madrid for the talented Argentine.

Valencia are reportably lining up Barcelona's Brazilian full back Juliano Beletti as a replacement for Miguel, who is expected to leave the club over the summer, as reported by Marca (Spanish link).

Following the Ole report on Monday that Mariano Pavone's move to Real Betis was close to completion, it appears that Betis are likely to announce the transfer today, according to Marca (Spanish link).

Finally, Marca report that Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has confirmed that the club are in discussions to sign Real Zaragoza's Argentine center-back Gabriel Milito. It seems there is currently a difference between their and Zaragoza's valuations for the player and Gigli doesn't expect the issue to be resolved easily.