NY via SE18
04 Aug 2004, 09:29 PM
From the Sun ( for what it's worth):
Freddie's next
By ERIC BEAUCHAMP
FREDDIE LJUNGBERG wants to follow Patrick Vieira through the Arsenal exit door.
The Swedish international, 27, is set to stun the Gunners and deepen the crisis at Highbury sparked by Vieira’s £23million move to Real Madrid.
Inter Milan, Roma and Juventus are all tracking Ljungberg — and boss Arsene Wenger will be helpless to prevent the midfield star leaving if he receives a £15m bid.
Wenger is in danger of seeing his unbeaten Premiership champions torn apart before their big kick-off a week Sunday.
Real want to put the final touches to the Vieira deal today so he can be registered to play in their Champions League qualifier next Tuesday.
The Highbury skipper has not figured in any of Arsenal’s pre-season games with what Wenger cited as a thigh injury.
And, last night, the French ace had his right knee examined by a private doctor in anticipation of his Madrid medical.
Vieira, 28, had problems with the joint last season and does not want to risk any last-minute hitches scuppering his dream move to Spain.
Madrid plan to unveil Vieira in a whirlwind of hype — just like they did with David Beckham last summer — and intend to televise his medical live on Real Madrid TV.
But Arsenal were still waiting last night to receive a fax confirming Real’s £23m offer after vice-chairman David Dein and president Florentino Perez came to a verbal agreement on the figure.
The Gunners know Real are desperate to meet UEFA’s noon deadline to confirm Vieira as their player ahead of their Champions League third-qualifying round clash.
But Dein has agreed to release Vieira only after Arsenal have found a replacement.
And if Perez wants him now, the Gunners argue the Spaniards must pay up in one final act of defiance at losing their star skipper.
The Bernabeu giants had also shown an interest in Vieira’s team-mate Ljungberg as a replacement for Luis Figo.
But Perez scratched the Swede from his summer hit-list after spending £18m to bag Roma defender Walter Samuel and then splashing out on Vieira.
Wenger had to persuade Ljungberg to stay last season with the player desperate to try his luck in Italy or Spain.
Now he has three Italian clubs tracking him.
Ljungberg joined the North London side in September 1998 for £3m from Halmstads in his homeland.
But the midfielder now feels he has gone as far as he can at Highbury and is ready for a fresh challenge.
Freddie's next
By ERIC BEAUCHAMP
FREDDIE LJUNGBERG wants to follow Patrick Vieira through the Arsenal exit door.
The Swedish international, 27, is set to stun the Gunners and deepen the crisis at Highbury sparked by Vieira’s £23million move to Real Madrid.
Inter Milan, Roma and Juventus are all tracking Ljungberg — and boss Arsene Wenger will be helpless to prevent the midfield star leaving if he receives a £15m bid.
Wenger is in danger of seeing his unbeaten Premiership champions torn apart before their big kick-off a week Sunday.
Real want to put the final touches to the Vieira deal today so he can be registered to play in their Champions League qualifier next Tuesday.
The Highbury skipper has not figured in any of Arsenal’s pre-season games with what Wenger cited as a thigh injury.
And, last night, the French ace had his right knee examined by a private doctor in anticipation of his Madrid medical.
Vieira, 28, had problems with the joint last season and does not want to risk any last-minute hitches scuppering his dream move to Spain.
Madrid plan to unveil Vieira in a whirlwind of hype — just like they did with David Beckham last summer — and intend to televise his medical live on Real Madrid TV.
But Arsenal were still waiting last night to receive a fax confirming Real’s £23m offer after vice-chairman David Dein and president Florentino Perez came to a verbal agreement on the figure.
The Gunners know Real are desperate to meet UEFA’s noon deadline to confirm Vieira as their player ahead of their Champions League third-qualifying round clash.
But Dein has agreed to release Vieira only after Arsenal have found a replacement.
And if Perez wants him now, the Gunners argue the Spaniards must pay up in one final act of defiance at losing their star skipper.
The Bernabeu giants had also shown an interest in Vieira’s team-mate Ljungberg as a replacement for Luis Figo.
But Perez scratched the Swede from his summer hit-list after spending £18m to bag Roma defender Walter Samuel and then splashing out on Vieira.
Wenger had to persuade Ljungberg to stay last season with the player desperate to try his luck in Italy or Spain.
Now he has three Italian clubs tracking him.
Ljungberg joined the North London side in September 1998 for £3m from Halmstads in his homeland.
But the midfielder now feels he has gone as far as he can at Highbury and is ready for a fresh challenge.