[ViSh23]

think he will leave barca... well could see chelsea putting a lot of money for him...

[JamesRoyale]

i put my money on him staying.
i dont think anyone will be willing to pay for him, so barca will keep him for the next season, at least; untill his price rockets down has he grows older.

[Torque]

I found this article, which really surprised me. Ronaldinho to City? You've go to be joking!

Originally Posted by skysports.com

Sven Goran Eriksson has admitted that Ronaldinho would be welcomed at Manchester City with open arms.

City are believed to be keen on bringing the unsettled Barcelona forward to the Premier League at the end of season and have joined a host of other clubs in the race for the Brazilian's signature.

Despite enduring a disappointing time in Spain for the past couple of years, the former World Player of the Year remains one of football's biggest attractions and would undoubtedly light up English football.

City are understood to have already entered into discussions with the player's representatives, and their manager acknowledges that the even he is excited by the prospect of the mercurial Brazilian arriving at Eastlands.

Surprise

"It was the first time I had heard such a thing, so I really hope it is true," said Eriksson.

"We would be able to find a place in our team for him, I can guarantee that.

"I will phone the owners. It was a surprise, but if they want to package Ronaldinho for me I would accept him and be very happy."

The Swede also joked that he would be interested in acquiring the services of another high-profile Brazilian.

"I would be happy to take Kaka at the same time!" he said.

[funkdoctorspock]

continuing on with the city link. Have a read about why Ronaldinho going to City might not be so of a stretch... k, maybe it still is.

Ronaldinho's brother and agent Roberto de Assis insists that his recent trips to England and Italy have absolutely nothing to do with orchestrating his sibling's departure from Barcelona. In fact it is perfectly 'usual' for him to travel and discuss personal matters with various parties.

GettyImages
Ronaldinho: Pastures new?

Odd then that Assis visited the very clubs that his increasingly unhappy client has been hotly tipped to join.

The former World Player of the Year has become a controversial figure at the Camp Nou, after suffering a dramatic fall from grace that has seen him banished from the first eleven, and the buck-toothed Brazilian seems destined to escape to either AC Milan or Manchester City in the summer.

Manchester City?

Yes, Manchester City.

The Citizens' owner Thaksin Shinawatra has made an audacious bid for Ronaldinho and before you start to titter at the thought of the 2002 World Cup winner joining a team that is struggling to finish in the top-half of the Premiership, the word from Spain is that it is a serious possibility.

The 28-year-old has apparently been seen clutching a copy of Manchester City's blue print for success: a plan that involves constructing a team around the former PSG star during the transfer window.

With self-confidence at a low ebb it is thought that the Grêmio graduate is eager to join a team at which he will once again be the big fish, rather than part of an impressive schole, to provide a much needed ego boost at the very least. Manchester City fits the bill and a €20million pay check might help smooth the way.

AC Milan will have their say, of course, and have some rebuilding of their own to do in the summer after struggling in Serie A and suffering an usually early exit from the Champions League at the hands of Arsenal. The Rossoneri's aging team currently occupy fifth place in the league, four points behind Fiorentina, and are set to miss out on Champions League football next season

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is expected to get the axe and chairman Silvio Berlusconi wants to lure Ronaldinho to the San Siro to form a Brazilian trio, with starlet Alexander Pato and FIFA World Player of the Year Kaka - although there is some debate as to how they would co-exist.

Media mogul Berlusconi has launched a charm offensive through the press and the former Italian Prime Minister makes it sound like the deal is just a mere trifle away from being completed. 'Ronaldinho would gladly join us, not least because there are many Brazilian team-mates here waiting for him and he knows at Milan we treat everyone very well,' he said.

The latter part of that statement is an obvious swipe at the way Berlusconi perceives Barça have treated Ronaldinho: alluding to an alleged smear campaign in Spain that president Joan Laporta vigorously denies.

Although manager Frank Rijkard has always insisted that he has no grievance with the 28-year-old, Ronaldinho continues to sit on sidelines and the Spanish press has been full of rumours of late night partying by the 'overweight' forward.

In March, with Ronaldinho still out of the first team, Barcelona controversially publicised a medical report that contradicted the playmaker's claim that he was struggling with an injury. The report concluded that Ronaldinho was suffering from no visible tendon or muscle damage.

Catalan conspiracy theorists were quick to point their fingers in the direction of Laporta, who, they claim, had somehow influenced the content of the medical assessment. The Barça president was equally quick to describe his accusers as having 'twisted minds'. Adding that it was quite possible for Ronaldinho to feel discomfort without a serious injury appearing in a scan.

The botched PR job gave a glimpse that something sinister was simmering under the surface at Barcelona and it bubbled again on Wednesday when the president of Barcelona's economic commission, Xavier Sala Martin, said the club had indeed used injuries as a way of camouflaging disciplinary action against certain players.

Martin was speedily contradicted by Rijkard and sporting director Txiki Begiristain insisted there was medical evidence to prove Ronaldinho and Deco were, and are, indeed injured - evidence that has remained unpublished this time around.

Injured or not, it certainly appears that Ronaldinho, whose last game for Barcelona was the 2-1 defeat against Villarreal on March 9th, has pulled on the famous No.10 shirt for the last time. The Brazilian has fallen from Champions League conquering hero to villain. He has become the scapegoat for all that is perceived to be wrong at the Catalan club.

Barça languish seven points behind leaders Real Madrid in La Liga and the fans have launched a white-hankie protest to call for the head of either Laporta or Rijkaard. Some of the more disgruntled supporters have even started turning up at training to tell the players just how lazy they think they are.

Ronaldinho seems to be bearing the brunt of the bad press and if his brother is not yet looking for a new club for his client, as he insists, he better start doing so immediately.

ESPNsoccernet - Europe - Raynor: Can City provide cure for ailing Ronaldinho?

[Anderson]

I dont think he will want to lower his standard of football which rules out Man City, i think he will go to one of the Milan teams

EDIT - Sky Sports News breaking news reckons he has held talks with AC Milan

[funkdoctorspock]

nice catch Anderson.

Seems to be a bit more than held taliks.

They have a general deal in place.

Ronaldinho agrees general terms with AC Milan

MILAN, April 12 (Reuters) - Ronaldinho has agreed initial terms with AC Milan and the Serie A club will now speak to Barcelona about a deal, Milan and the player's agent have said.


The 28-year-old Brazilian has had a difficult few months at the Nou Camp because of injury and loss of form and a move has long been mooted.

The forward is out for the rest of the campaign with a leg injury and a transfer can not officially go through until the end of the season.

'In general Ronaldinho and Milan are in agreement,' his agent and brother Roberto de Assis was quoted as saying on the Gazzetta dello Sport website on Saturday.

Gazzetta said a deal up to 2012 worth eight million euros ($12.6 million) a year was in the pipeline with a few clauses to be agreed.

Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said: 'There is a general agreement with the player. Now a deal has to be reached with Barcelona. Give us time.'

Spanish and Italian media reports have speculated about a transfer fee of between 20 and 30 million euros while some newspapers have talked about Ronaldinho buying up the rest of his contract at Barca.

Milan are fifth in Serie A and in danger of missing next year's Champions League after a poor season. They were dumped out of this year's Champions League as holders by Arsenal in the first knockout round.

Carlo Ancelotti's men have struggled to score and create goals with Brazilian Ronaldo playing just a handful of games before being ruled out long term with a knee injury.

Fellow striker Alberto Gilardino has been lacklustre and world player of the year Kaka has been far from his best.

Despite their troubles, Ancelotti has been assured of his job next term.

ESPNsoccernet - Europe - Ronaldinho agrees general terms with AC Milan

[Prongs]

IF they hold on to kaka , milan have a decent chance to revive .. Still their defense is going to suck after this season . Maybe they should buy bramble )

[Torque]

Looks like Ronaldinho is out of sollutions as most of the European big clubs are backing off taking Ronnie:

Ronaldinho makes overtures to City as his brother flies to Thailand for talks with Thaksin



Ronaldinho's brother - who also acts as his agent - flew into Thailand for talks with Manchester City last night. He asked for a personal audience with City's powerful owner Thaksin Shinawatra to gauge the interest in the Barcelona playmaker.

The most unlikely transfer of the summer that would take the Brazilian forward to the City of Manchester Stadium is still some way off, with City uncertain as to whether he is worth the financial risk.

Ronaldinho would demand a salary of around £200,000-a-week which would make him the highest paid player in the world. Ronaldinho can leave Barcelona and it was believed he would go to AC Milan, but they appear to have gone cool on the deal.

Ronaldinho's brother, Roberto De Assis, was the guest of City's Thai board for their Premier League match with Manchester City in April, as exclusively revealed in Sportsmail. City are to appoint a new manager in the next month and will also have a new executive chairman, Nike supremo Garry Cook by June 1.

Shinawatra would rather Cook and the new manager lead their transfer business, but that did not stop De Assis taking a flight to check out a potential offer. Europe's other clubs seem to be backing off taking Ronaldinho.

Cook has experience of working with some of Nike's biggest names and Ronaldinho has a long-standing arrangement with the world's leading boot manufacturers.

source

Damn, I wish we would have signed him in 2003. Now it's too late. Sad

[mark08]

has been linked wid AC for ages!
also city as well but i very much doubt he's goin there!

[jamie2k8]

i think hes good enough to find a club better than man city .... the sun says man city are willing to pay £10 million for him .... he should fetch at least three times that he still is one of the best players in the world without a doubt !