Barcelona scouts watch £50m Ramsey, Arsenal insiders haven't ruled out Fabregas return... and Berbatov wants OUT of Fulham.

Aaron Ramsey's brilliant form for Arsenal has not only caught the imagination of Premier League crowds and pundits alike.
The Welshman's reawakening has been keenly watched by Barcelona who have dispatched scouts to Arsenal's last four games and Wales's matches with Belgium and Macedonia.
If word of their presence has reached Arsene Wenger it is no wonder he would not sell Ramsey for £50million.

Man of the moment: Ramsey's performances this year have raised the interest of La Liga giants Barcelona

Barcelona are in the process of re-evaluating a squad that is showing signs of wear and tear.
Coach Tata Martino has seen his side lose two games in a week and president Sandro Rosell is taking stock with his staff of where and how to strengthen.
Centre back is a key area with David Luiz and Daniel Agger constant in their lists while Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku has also been studied. Manchester City's Sergio Aguero has been linked in the Spanish press but while understandable the deal would be difficult for Barcelona.

Targets: Arsenal won't rule out Fabregas returning to the Emirates, but a Barca deal for Aguero is difficult

Aguero is no surprise. He is someone Rosell has long wanted as have fierce rivals Real Madrid but City will be hoping their own level of progression is enough to persuade the Argentine he is at a club that will soon compete strongly on the world stage while City's chief executive and former Barcelona vice-president Ferran Soriano would not be keen on allowing assets to strengthen his former club's cause.
As for Ramsey, he is loyal to Arsenal and Wenger, a bond forged from their support during his horrific leg break three years ago. He will also be mindful of Cesc Fabregas's fitful progression at the Camp Nou. Indeed, insiders at the Emirates have not ruled out the Spaniard's return to London next summer.

 

Wigan's forgotten goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi could find a swift route back to the Premier League if Crystal Palace follow up their interest.
Palace staff made an enquiry last week prior to Owen Coyle's departure to check on Al Habsi's fitness and availability.

WICKED WHISPER

Which London club sent an old scout to the Corinthia Hotel in Whitehall to check out their opponents as they arrived ahead of their Premier League match?
The visiting staff were bemused as he continued to watch who walked through the hotel and wrote down their names on a scrap of paper, checking off who was in the squad in the hope of guessing their line-up.
The giveaway was that he was wearing a coat with the home club's crest emblazoned on his chest.

The 31-year-old Oman No 1 has missed a large part of the year with a shoulder injury but has now returned to training.
Talking to Wigan's official website on Tuesday, Al Habsi said: 'It’s been a long six months since my surgery, it was a big operation, but I'm getting there. I need a few weeks now until I’ll be ready for games, but I’m back in training and I’m very happy.'

Al Habsi isn't the only goalkeeper being watched at Wigan though.
Liverpool coach John Achterberg watched Lee Nicholls against Zulte Waregem last week only to see him gift the Belgians a crucial goal.
Undeterred, Manchester United then sent staff to watch the Huyton-born England U19 keeper against Derby County on Sunday but Wigan's dismal first-half performance means any potential deal will be shelved for now.

 

Cardiff are poised to take the initiative and open the bidding for Sevilla's highly-rated left back Alberto Moreno.
Inevitably, Cardiff fear they could be outbid by Premier League rivals as Manchester United and Chelsea have both watched the 21-year-old extensively.
The Spain defender agreed a new contract at Sevilla in October and that pushed his buy-out clause to £25million. There is no doubt that figure is way beyond Cardiff's means but manager Malky Mackay has not got where he is today without being bold.

Wanted man: Moreno (right) is being tracked by South Wales outfit Cardiff

The presence of Europe's big clubs assures Mackay that his scouting network is sound but the departure of former head of recruitment Iain Moody could slow down proceedings. Moody played a pivotal role in Cardiff's capture of Gary Medel from Sevilla in the summer and that relationship would have been beneficial in any follow up offer for other Sevilla players.
Sevilla have had financial troubles but Medel's fee, plus that from Alvaro Negredo's sale to Manchester City, have put them on a more even keel. That said, they will listen to reasonable offers especially if Chelsea and United show an unwillingness also to match the buy-out. The question is how low an offer would they accept.

 

Dimitar Berbatov wants to leave Fulham but would prefer to stay in England.
New manager Rene Meulensteen was not always Berbatov's biggest fan while at Manchester United but Berbatov has been considering a departure before the arrival of his former coach.
Sportsmail reported Trabzonspor's interest in the 32-year-old last week but the Bulgarian would like to find an alternative in the Premier League.

Heading for the exit? Berbatov wants to leave Fulham, but also wants to remain in England

His agent Emil Dantchev said: 'I don't usually speculate as nobody knows what will happen in January but what I can tell you is he (Berbatov) is not happy at Fulham. He would like, if possible, to find another option.
'I cannot comment (on whether there has been any approach) but the priority is to find a solution to stay in England.'

 

Hull City manager Steve Bruce may have seen Filip Djordjevic fluff his lines in his audition last night but it won't necessarily put him off signing the Serb. The Mirror reported today that Bruce watched from the stands as the 26-year-old missed a penalty in last night's 2-1 victory over Valenciennes.
Djordjevic is not Nantes's usual penalty taker but having been fouled was suitably fired up to grab the ball and take the spot-kick himself only to see it saved. Hull will not be deterred, however, as it was the fifth time their staff had watched the striker albeit Bruce's first.
West Ham also watched the game as they consider making a pre-contract offer to Djordjevic who is out of contract in the summer.

Tiger feet: Hull City boss Bruce is keen on Nantes striker Djordjevic - despite his recent penalty miss

Manager Sam Allardyce wants two strikers but again will have to be creative with a limited budget in January. They may either take one on a permanent basis and do another on loan or take two loans and hope to wrap up a pre-contract for the summer.
Stoke and Fulham have also posted interest in Djordjevic and, while Fiorentina and Lazio are ready to make offers, a move to England is his preference.

 

Neil Lennon continues to monitor James Vaughan's progress after he watched the Huddersfield striker again last night at Bolton. However, manager Mark Robins doesn't want to listen. He said: 'It doesn't matter what sort of bid it is, it will get short shrift.'

Spot on: Vaughan slams home a penalty... but could he be heading north of the border to join Celtic?

 

Almeria's Joaquin Fernandez is arriving at Liverpool for 10 days' training. The 17-year-old defensive midfielder, who has been capped at U17 level, is highly rated and comes as part of the agreement that has seen Liverpool's Suso go on loan to the La Liga side.
A regular in the Almeria B side, Joaquin is suspended for their next game against Albacete but will return to the club on December 11.
Real Betis are among clubs asking about Liverpool's willingness to allow Iago Aspas to return to Spain. The 26-year-old is fit again and could be vital during Daniel Sturridge's absence should he find form.

 

AC Milan and Bayern Munich are trying to sign a 16-year-old Montenegrin by the name of Zoran Petrovic but the winger is determined to move to England and follow in the footsteps of his idol Stevan Jovetic at Manchester City.
That has alerted two top Premier League sides who are keen to take a closer look at the skilful prospect who has graduated from the Karioke Academy in Podgorica and already plays for the first team at Mladost.

 

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